Star Wars: Revelation
by Alice And Danny
Summary: When the Alliance receives word of an extremely Force-sensitive girl enslaved on Tatooine, the Rebels hire the young smuggler Barrett Vance to retrieve her for them. A simple rescue operation becomes a deadly game of cat-and-mouse after the Empire discovers the girl's powers and seeks to use them for their dark machinations. (Rated T for violence, suggestive themes, and language)
1. Chapter 1

_Hi there! My name's Alice and welcome to Danny and I's first story! I'm terrible with introductions, so I'll make this short. We don't own Star Wars or else I would have kept Obi-Wan Kenobi alive still... And Barrett Vance and Nina Samson are our two OCs. I will be writing for Nina, and Danny for Barrett. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and we both hope you like it!  
_

* * *

The sandy, desolate deserts of the barren planet Tatooine were known to hold some of the most popular cantinas in the galaxy. From the half-naked women who served travelers searching for a drink, to the exciting music, cheap labor, and the multiple different jobs that some offered around there, everyone enjoyed it.

That is, except for Nina Samson.

She worked at the quite popular Mos Eisley Cantina under the ownership of a good-for-nothing Wookie named Chalmun, and his handsy sons and business partners. To be honest, she felt she looked about as appealing in it as the bowl of mush she was served every day. Yet, the men that seemed to flock towards her were undeterred at her appearance.

And today was no better.

While the uniform consisted of something to cover her upper body and lower body, Nina felt more naked than the day she was born in the slimy cantina as she pushed through the hoards of tipsy men with wandering hands and eyes. Her torso was bare to the entire public, and her smooth, creamy-skinned legs were only covered by a small pair of black leggings, short enough to barely cover her.

"Chalmun," She remembered asking her owner on the day she was handed this. "What do you expect me to do with this?"

The Wookie had smirked at her, crossing his furry arms. "Get some more tips. I need a few new tables in the back, and you know how much they love a girl in uniform…"

Disgusting. Absolutely, wholeheartedly disgusting to Nina.

"Another round over here, wench!" Someone called from one of her tables as she held onto a platter with a dozen drinks toddling atop it. "And make it snappy!"

She rolled her grey eyes, pushing past the other slaves who worked at the Cantina with her and towards her table. "You got it."

 _If only I could slap them, at least once…_ She thought to herself as she spread another fake smile across her face and walked towards another table, winking to a few different men and passing out the different drinks around the table before disappearing towards the bar once more.

"You're picking up Thinelda's tables tonight, right, redhead?" She heard her owner call from behind her as an arm snaked around her stomach, the hand reaching towards her opposite hip as she looked into his wooly face.

A thin smirk was plastered over his face as Nina sighed quietly before nodding up at her master.

Laughter deep enough to shake the ground beneath her roared from the man as he released his grip from her, sliding her top down a tiny bit to expose more of her nonexistent breasts. "Get back out there, girl!"

Anger bubbled inside of the girl as she felt heat fill her palms. She felt this before, and whatever came after always got her in trouble, no matter what…

 _Uh oh…_

"My, my, what a nice young lady, boys…" A salty voice that froze Nina's skin spoke as she neared the table she had been called to earlier, pulling her top back up to at least attain an air of modesty.

She turned to find a member of one of the gang rings that Chalmun was involved in, grinning back at her with his eyes in thin slits. His thick, greasy hair that reminded her of the oil they put in some racing pods and even thicker middle section was altogether a sight that almost made Nina gag.

"Hey there, big guy." She replied, batting her eyes nice and big. "What can I get for you?"

His face curled into an even creepier smile, a thick hand reaching out towards her thigh. "How's about we slip away from this dump and back to my pod for a little bit? I got a nice big backseat for the two of us to get to know each other a little better…"

Nina fought the urge to vomit.

"You'll have to get through my master first, mister…" She breathed, dodging the dirty hand that was diving for her thigh. "Anything to drink though?"

His face turned into a deep scowl as he recoiled his hand, folding it into a fist and pounding the table. "What's the big idea, you little bitch? Come back here!"

Another hand darted out and grabbed her thigh this time, squeezing it between his fingers as tight as he could. Nina cried out a tiny bit, her eyes tearing up. Her hand swatted the other calloused one away, though he barely made an effort to let go.

"Hey, why don't you let go, big guy." She mumbled, as another hand snaked around to grab her other hip. "And let me get you another drink on the house."

Free drinks, Chalmun had said when the men got too rowdy. Free drinks will get you anywhere in the world, and especially out of another man's grasp.

"How's about we get out of here tonight?" The man replied, his hand creeping farther and farther towards her crotch. "I got a nice room at the local inn for the two of us…"

"Hey!" Her Wookie owner called out to the two from behind the bar. "No touchin' the help! They're just for the view, not for you!"

She tried to shake off the two hands once more as Chalmun began to emerge from behind the counter. The man stood, holding Nina within his filthy hands even tighter. She could feel the beginning of bruises under his hands.

"Nah, this bitch is mine for the evening." He replied, the hand that was on her chest now grasping at her braid down her open back.

Nina squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the hand grasp her ass once more. "Let go, you asshole…"

She was pulled back as the Wookie reached forward, her head slamming against one of the tables in the tavern, and her world beginning to spin. An elbow slid around her throat as she felt the air in her chest began to leave her.

Slowly, her eyes melted into blackness as she heard screaming and yelling around the cantina. The quiet call of a voice in the darkness sang her to sleep.

" _Nathalia, Nathalia… Come back to me, my dear…_ "

* * *

 _Last job, Barrett. This time, for good._

That little voice in his head started talking again. That little voice that always said this time was the last time. That after this, he could get away from the turmoil and the trouble running amok in the galaxy, that he could buy an island on Spira and go into permanent retirement. Or maybe live on Aquilaris and watch pod-racing for the rest of his life. Hell, maybe even head back to Coruscant and buy a penthouse suite at the top of a tall skyscraper.

But that was never the case. Ever. All the credits he earned, the reputations he garnered, the stress he suffered, nothing could convince Barrett Vance to give up the smuggling life he had made for himself. He couldn't help it. The call of adventure, the profits made off shady business, the close calls and shootouts with Imperial soldiers or ruthless pirates, all of it was far too attractive. Why should he ever want to give it up? Sure beat life with the Black Suns, always taking orders from some faraway "prince" and getting paid meager wages for pretty dirty work. But smuggling independently? One could get a couple hundred creds for hauling one crate of spice. The most Barrett had ever hauled was fifty tons. He still hadn't spent all the money he made off that deal with the Hutts of Nar Shaddaa.

"You're gonna have to wait, pal. This ain't ending anytime soon."

A whistle entered the smuggler's ear.

"Oh, no, Jeight, just talking to myself." The astromech droid next to him had just unplugged himself from the navigation computer since they dropped out of lightspeed over Tatooine. Barrett took the controls and piloted the freighter into the desert world's atmosphere. Before his eyes lay the Jundland Wastes, its dry canyons and sandy rocks basking in the heat of the two setting suns. A herd of bantha accompanied by a contingent of Sand People lumbered through one of the gorges below. A few moments later, the structures of Mos Eisley rose from the sand. Jeight beeped and squeaked with relief.

"Yep, we're here, Jeight. Mos Eisley. Armpit of the galaxy."

As Jeight took control of the ship and began to land it in Docking Bay 95, Barrett went back to the central room of the Ghtroc 720 freighter and started up the holocommunicator, hoping to reach his Rebel contact to receive further information.

"Captain Vance, do you read me?"

"Loud and clear, Borgan. I'm landing in Mos Eisley as we speak."

"Good to hear. Now, your target is Nathalia Samson. Female human, seventeen years of age, working in a cantina owned by a Wookie named Chalmun."

"That name sounds familiar."

"It should; he's one of the richest men in the city. Runs the most popular cantina in town. He and his sons run a tight business and have protection from local mercs, so no one can touch him."

"You said the girl was working for Chalmun?"

"Well," Borgan sighed, "not exactly. The girl's a slave."

"Don't you know what happens when slaves leave the planet's orbit, Borgan?" Barrett replied, anger rising in him.

"Yes, yes, the chips in their bodies explode, killing them, I know. Fortunately, we thought of that before you left. The device I gave you back on Nal Hutta can generate an electromagnetic pulse which will render the chip unable to function."

"How do I know this thing will work?"

"Well, it worked against state of the art chips implanted into Wookies enslaved by the Empire. I'm sure the chips on Tatooine are far less complicated and, therefore, easier to crack."

Barrett removed the device from his belt. It looked a lot like a comlink, but after punching in the authorization code, it emitted a static electric shock. Rebel ingenuity at its finest.

"Alright, but how am I going to get the girl?"

"After you exit the Docking Bay, a protocol droid will be waiting for you with currency sufficient enough to purchase the girl from her master. If he refuses to sell, you'll have to come up with… An alternate solution. And after hearing about your incident with the Imperials on Corellia, let's just say we can trust you to get the job done."

"How will I know the protocol droid? There's a lot of them around here."

"Can't miss it. Thing's got bug eyes and silver plating. I'm afraid this conversation has to end, or else the Empire may trace my signal. Contact me when the job is done. Lieutenant Borgan, out."

 _Well, this has clusterfuck written all over it._

Barrett retrieved his long coat and checked the power packs on his DH-17 blaster pistol. On Tatooine, one must be ready for anything, especially trouble. And a mission like this could only end in trouble. Slipping his gun into its holster, he strode towards the airlock ramp and out onto the sand. R2-J8 rolled down, squeaking and ready to go.

"Jeight, I need you to stay with the ship," Barrett said, patting his co-pilot on the dome. He made a whining noise. "Hey, don't be like that. For all you know, some stormtroopers or some gangsters may try and take the ship, like that arms deal gone south on Corulag. You fended off the bad guys with the blaster cannons and gave me the cover I needed to get back on board… I have a funny feeling this job'll be similar. I need you to do this, buddy. Trust me."

Jeight whistled low, bleeped once, and rolled back up into the _Gorskin_. Barrett chuckled, always admiring his headstrong little droid's enthusiasm, but this mission could only be done alone. Besides, the last thing he needed was for R2-J8 to wander off and get kidnapped by some Jawa for parts. That already almost happened once before in Mos Doba.

Even at this hour, Mos Eisley's streets were quite busy. Night time was a popular time to visit the local cantinas and casinos, and that same general feeling of scum and villainy pervaded the area. Barrett looked around for the bug-eyed droid, finally spotting it by an empty market stall across the dusty road. He moved cautiously, not wanting to attract too much attention, but everyone was in such a hurry to get to where they were going that no one really took particular interest in the dark-haired, stubbled, and tanned spacefarer. In fact, there were several people who looked quite similar wandering around town. The droid must have noticed that this was his contact as he shuffled forward stiffly to meet him.

"I thought you'd be taller," It said casually.

"I thought you'd be prettier, so I guess we're both disappointed."

"Heh, whatever," The droid responded. His voice was unlike the typical "yes, master" voice most protocol units possessed. He was more quick, crude, and sardonic. "Name's 21-LOM. Our mutual friends call me Lom. Cantina's on the north side of town, filled with all kinds of lowlives. At least, that's all I could see before that hairy fella threw me out. 'No droids,' he says. Pfft. Bigots."

"Did you see the girl? Nathalia?"

"Yeah, I did. She was bussin' tables and servin' drinks, from what I could tell. Dressed real skimpy too, even though there's not much there, if you catch my meanin'."

"Who the hell programmed your personality matrix, Lom?"

"Someone who wanted to add a little more personality to me than the other blind tin can servants all you other species've got running around washing your speeders and dusting your furniture. Needless to say, it's classified," Lom's illuminated photoreceptor flickered on one side, almost making it look like he winked. "Anyway, the job. From what I hear, a good slave is worth about as much as a good podracer, and so I've got fifteen thousand credits for you. Now if the Wookie is reasonable, which he isn't (but maybe you could convince him), you shouldn't have to use all of it. Odds are he'll ask about ten, that is, if he's willin' to sell. If that goes south, well, looks like you'll have to use that fifteen for something else and bust the girl out in true gunslinger fashion. Dig?"

"Sure, Lom."

"Alright. Creds are in there, champ," Lom indicated a crate in the market stall. "Don't let me down, kid. May the Force be with you."

Credits in hand, Barrett wandered through the dark labyrinth of streets, alleys, and thoroughfares, keeping an eye out for Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina. He knew the way, having been there dozens of times before. He probably had gotten a drink from this Nathalia girl once or twice in the past. Walking past the wreckage of the _Dowager Queen_ , Barrett noticed a few shady looking individuals being shaken down by a group of soldiers in shiny white armor. Stormtroopers. Last time Barrett was here, the Imperial garrison was not very big. Clearly, things had changed a bit. More stormtroopers patrolled the streets, and loudspeakers had been set up at certain intersections. He assumed they were for alarms or something. As he neared the cantina, a message boomed out across the town.

"Attention, Mos Eisley residents. By order of Moff Kas, city-wide curfew will be imposed in one hour," A regal voice announced, his aristocratic accent booming across the settlement. "All civilians are ordered to stay in their quarters until one hour before sunrise tomorrow. Any civilians found outside during curfew without proper security clearance will be arrested and imprisoned. Resisting arrest will result in deadly force. Again, curfew begins in one hour. Glory to the Empire."

 _Well, shit. Now I've got one hour to get her out of here and back to the ship. This should be fun._

Bustling was not the right word to describe Chalmun's tonight. More like teeming. Seemed like every species had a representative here in this scoundrel's version of a Galactic Senate. Rodians and Grans, Chadra-Fans and Zabraks, Ithorians and Klatooinians, Twi'Leks and Duros, and so much more; all the galaxy's spacefaring species were assembled in this bar tonight. Barrett surveyed the area, unable to find the girl or the Wookie amidst the crowd. Sighing, he wandered over to the bar. Ackmena was working, cleaning out a glass while chatting with a Devaronian patron. She ended the conversation when she noticed another customer approaching.

"Wet your whistle, hon?" Ackmena asked with a smile. She did not seem to recognize Barrett, which was no surprise to him.

"Corellian Twister," He replied, placing a coin on the counter. The woman took it, then disappeared for a moment. Figrin D'an and the Modal Tones were playing their hit song "Mad About Me", a local favorite. A few alien couples were dancing in an area before their stage. Barrett's eyes wandered across the bar as he took a sip of his drink, satisfied with the slight burning sensation it produced while trickling down his throat. Finally, he spotted Chalmun working on the other side of the bar. Drink in hand, Barrett rose from his stool and made his way through the crowd of patrons, careful not to bump into anyone. On Tatooine, one accidental touch could mean a whole lot of trouble.

"Chalmun," Barrett called while squeezing past a pair of Quarren. Succeeding, he sat in an empty stool near the Wookiee. "Chalmun, right?"

"Yeah. If you want trouble, get out. If you've got any complaints, get out. If you want a drink, pay up." The Wookiee growled.

"Actually, I'm here to -"

"Just a minute, buddy," Chalmun said before calling at one of the patrons in the back, "Hey! No touchin' the help! They're just for the view, not for you!"

"Nah, this bitch is mine for the evening!" Barrett turned to look at the man who responded, but his eyes widened when he saw the girl clutched in his grasp.

It was her. Nathalia Samson.

"Stay here, boy, and get your blaster ready, trouble's coming," Chalmun muttered before nodding to two tough looking Weequay in the corners of the bar. They grabbed blaster rifles hidden behind their seats and prepared for the worst. Chalmun rose and approached threateningly, the patrons clearing a path for him. The man holding Nathalia threw her behind him, then followed her to the ground. Chalmun went to get him, but his advance was stopped by a group of similarly dressed men, a smorgasbord of humans and nonhumans alike. A tall Nikto, nearly Chalmun's height, stood in the front.

"I think we'll be taking this pretty girl off your hands, Chalmun."

"She's not for sale, Urghek."

"Not even for-"

"No. Sale."

"Well, then, that's a real shame. Boys, fry 'im!"

A vicious-looking Trandoshan pulled a pistol from his belt, but the shot that followed prevented him from firing. He dropped dead and all the gangsters looked at Barrett, his pistol smoking. He dropped behind the bar as three more blaster bolts whizzed past. Thankfully, it was just the distraction Chalmun needed to get into a grappling contest with the Nikto. The Weequay mercenaries and a couple loyal patrons joined the fight against the gangsters, but most everyone ran for cover or out the exit. Blaster fire filled the room, and a few unfortunate individuals who were not involved got cut down by the crossfire. The gangsters were firing indiscriminately, hitting civilians and Chalmun's men alike. Bright red flashes filled the room as men on both sides fell. More of Urghek's mercenaries flooded in from the back door, knocking over tables to use as makeshift barricades while Barrett and a few more patrons fired on them.

He looked back to where Nathalia was, her captor still beside her. Her eyes were closed. Barrett inhaled sharply, wanting to run over to that scum, put a few bolts in his head, and get her out of here. But the smuggler held his ground. He would be dead in a minute. The gangsters were still focused on him and his fellow patrons, laying down a good deal of heat. More of Chalmun's guys were falling then Urghek's.

 _Come on, give me one shot. One distraction good enough to get her._

"Look out! Stormtroopers!"

Barrett turned and witnessed a squad of armored Stormtroopers swooping into the room, opening fire on the gangsters. Barrett had his opening. While the gangsters focused on the soldiers, the smuggler swiftly dove over a table and landed next to Nathalia's captor. He howled, swinging his gun around, but Barrett beat him to it. Two shots later, he was flat on his back gasping for air with punctured lungs.

 _His raping days are done._

The girl. Nathalia. Barrett cradled her with one arm while he checked her pulse. Still alive. He retrieved the device Lieutenant Borgan had given him, punched in the authorization code, and found the area where her chip was implanted. Back of the neck. Standard procedure. The scars were barely noticeable, but nonetheless, he knew this was where it was. He touched the communicator to her neck and heard the click of the static electricity. The gunfire was beginning to die down. Barrett had no choice. He had to leave.

Now.

Scooping her up over his shoulder, Barrett made his way towards the back door, where the last of the gangsters had fled out through. A Stormtrooper stood guard while the rest of his comrades were making arrests, pursuing the fleeing suspects, or interrogating witnesses. An officer in a grey uniform was talking to Chalmun, who had successfully beaten Urghek not long before.

 _Good, he's busy. Time to go._

"Halt, where are you going?" The stormtrooper asked, blocking the door.

"Please, it's my sister, she was attacked by those gangsters, I need to get her to a doctor." He lied quickly, eyeing his ship in the distance.

"We have a medic here who can treat her. Besides, our officer would like to ask you a few questions."

"No, you don't understand, I need to-"

"Boy!" Barrett froze. Chalmun's roar echoed throughout the establishment. "What are you doing with my Nina?"

Everyone's eyes were on Barrett. Quickly he started analyzing the room. The back door was the only way out, but he'd be shot down if he just tried to run. He'd have to kill the trooper beside him, but he needed to find the light switchboard… His amber eyes moving frantically, he laid eyes on what he figured were the light controls. No choice. He had to act now.

"That girl's my property. Don't you even think of-"

Barrett drew and fired quickly at the Stormtrooper blocking his way. That armor stood no chance against the bolt at point blank range. Turning quickly, he shot the at the light switchboard. It crackled and fizzed, killing the lights and enshrouding everyone's view. Barrett ran out the back door as fast as he could while blaster fire chased him. Shooting the door's control panel, it slid shut behind him, ensuring he wouldn't be followed too closely. Barrett moved as fast as he could with another person over his shoulder, putting as much distance between Chalmun's and him as possible, hightailing it to Docking Bay 95.

He had to stop. This much running was too much for him. He found an abandoned shelter and managed to hotwire the door open. It was small and cramped, but it would do for a few moments. He set Nina down, placing her back against the wall on one side of the room, once again checking her pulse. Still alive. Breathing heavily, he slid down a nearby wall till he was sitting on the ground, closing his eyes and reaching for his canteen on his belt. Water never tasted quite as sweet. Relaxing for a few more moments, Barrett's eyes opened as the girl began to stir from her unconsciousness. But, his heart sank when an announcement rang out across all Mos Eisley.

"Attention, Mos Eisley residents. Curfew is now in effect. Remain indoors, or face arrest by Imperial authorities. Glory to the Empire."

 _Well, things just got a lot more complicated._

* * *

 _It's Alice again! We both hope you enjoyed our story! The next chapter will be published in a week, depending on our schedules. Don't forget to favorite, follow, and review if you liked it! May the Force be with you this holiday season! :)_

 _Alice, out!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey Star Wars fans! It's Alice once again for the new chapter of Star Wars: Revelation! Danny and I had a lot of fun writing as exciting of a chapter as this, so we hope that you guys enjoy it!_

 _Disclaimer: We really don't own Star Wars. We promise._

* * *

Darkness melted away from Nina's mind as she slowly awoke, the pounding within her skull louder than the heavy breathing around her. Her eyes blinked open, as she found herself in a shed, the sands of this godawful planet beneath her.

Her heart sank. _So he did have his way with me, I guess... I thought Chalmun might've fought them a little harder…_

Nina remembered the last slave that Chalmun had thrown out after she was taken away against her will. She returned with ripped clothes, a busted lip, and two swollen eyes… The Wookiee took one look at her and shook his head. Slaves were expensive, and the ones who got wrecked were about as worthless as a grain of sand here. With a swift toss, he threw the girl out of the cantina, yelled at her to never come back, and went straight back to counting credits at his seat.

"If you get whooped, ladies…" He said with a low voice, freezing every slave's heart in the cantina. "Don't you dare think about stepping foot back in this cantina again."

No one dared to try and leave again.

 _Seems like I'm gonna have to be creative for a while now._ She thought to herself, curling her bare arms around her cold figure as the sound of Imperial stormtroopers pacing around outside kept her awake.

Suddenly, the heavy sigh of someone beside her drew her out of her soliloquy, her eyes widening.

In the dim lighting, a man was reclining against the wall of the shed, his jet black hair falling into his eyes as he pressed a hand, covered by a fingerless glove on his head. A blue-green trench coat was falling off his shoulders, and the hilt of a blaster was laid across her knee.

Holy _shit_. She was still with this dickhead.

Her thin fingers grasped the blaster on her knee, as she scooched back as far as she could in the tiny shed, pointing the gun at him. "Oh my God!"

The man's eyes shot open, brilliant orbs of amber staring back at her gray ones in fright as he noticed the threatening blaster pointed at his chest, the hands holding it slightly shaking as she watched him in pure horror.

The man who raped her had shoved them into a shed? _I mean, he seemed pretty persistent when we first met in the cantina. I guess he couldn't wait that meager minute it took to get to a more decent establishment._

"Woah, woah, hey!" The man exclaimed, shutting his mouth when he realized the precarious situation he placed them in. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm keeping myself from getting raped, you bastard!" She spoke, her hands tightening on the blaster. "Couldn't keep it in your pants long enough to get to a more decent spot?"

"... What the _hell_ are you…" He responded, baffled, then realizing the state she was in before he had busted her out. "Oh. _Oh._ Listen, a lot has happened since that guy… You know. But I'm not him, I don't even know the guy. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's not breathing anymore."

Nina's mouth fell open, the blaster clattering from her hands onto the sandy floor beneath the two. "You KILLED him?" She close to screamed, and she backed up farther in the empty shed.

The man's gloved hand covered her mouth suddenly, silencing whatever words she was going to say as the shuffle of a few stormtroopers in the distance sounded closer. " _Quiet!_ " He whispered, "There's Imperial soldiers out there, and probably some gangsters too. They're looking for me."

"Cause you killed someone!"

"Yeah, I did. A stormtrooper, actually. That's why the Imps are after me. I killed a few other guys, too, trying to get you outta that cantina." He stepped away from her and picked up his discarded blaster, placing it back in the holster on his hip.

"You killed multiple people?!"

Nina couldn't quite comprehend the situation at first. She was stuck in this godawful shed with a guy that had killed MULTIPLE people, not just one, apparently, and was on the run from Stormtroopers, who were slowly figuring out their position one moment at a time.

I mean, the stormtroopers were partly her fault, Nina would realize later on. She was the one who screamed a little louder than she should have… Maybe she should have just shot him when he didn't even know she was awake….

"More people than I would have liked to." He whispered quietly to himself as he stood to peer out of a tiny crack in the shed. "Name's Barrett. Barrett Vance, and I was tasked to retrieve you for a very wealthy client."

 _Very wealthy client?_

"So a bounty hunter?" She replied, crossing her arms over her thin top as another breeze blew through the shed. A chill crossed her shoulders, and she tried, and failed, for that matter, to pull down the skimpy bottoms she wore.

"I prefer the term 'independent contractor', personally," Barrett replied, "or smuggler. That's a little more accurate."

His eyes surveyed her figure, noticing the lack of appropriateness the outfit she wore gave to the mission. Sighing, he removed his trenchcoat and held it out to her. "Take this. May be big, but it'll keep you warm. Don't mind the blaster burns."

"Blaster burns?"

"Don't ask. Too long of a story."

Nina nodded quietly, slipping her slightly tanned arms through the khaki armholes, the coat way bigger than she had previously estimated. "I look like a fucking child playing in her parent's closet."

The smuggler turned back to her, taking a quick glance at her once more. "You know, if you don't like it, I can always take it back." Barrett said, "Well, actually, it may help get us outta here if folks can't recognize you."

Nina rolled her eyes, fastening the belts around her torso. "Recognize me? Pretty sure everyone in this damn port has seen me once or twice before. Even the stormtroopers come to the cantina once in awhile."

Barrett looked back out of the shed, eyeing the space port only a dozen yards away. "I bet we could get there soon if you pick those heels up and don't look back at the firefight, got it?"

"Firefight?" She asked as the man pulled out the blaster from his holster. "You mean you're gonna kill even more people right now?"

"What the hell did I just say?!" He snapped at her, holding the blaster at the ready. "Are you ready?"

With a small nod, Nina came to her feet, her fingers clenched in fists. "Where are we running to again?"

"The big silver ship that looks like a turtle, straight through that bulkhead ahead of us." The smuggler whispered, his fingers hovering over the control panel. "Just run straight for it, and I'll meet you there. Got it?"

She nodded once more, a dozen thoughts running through her head. She wouldn't be a slave any more after this, right? She'd be able to live her own life, maybe? Whoever this other 'wealthy client' was maybe was a little nicer than Chalmun. Or stricter…

"Hey! No time for thinking deeply about space and everything else, got it? Details later. Escape now, okay?" Barrett snapped at her once more. "Ready?"

A deep breath entered her lungs as she kneeled at the ready to bolt out of the shed. "Ready."

The tiny sound of the click of a lock sounded in Nina's ears as Barrett pressed a button on the panel. The door hissed open and Barrett shot four beams of light out at the various stormtroopers all around as she shot out like a bullet, pressing her feet as light and quickly into the sand as she traversed the slippery terrain. The ship, too, burst to life as laser cannons fired on additional soldiers.

The blinking lights of the spaceport ahead of her seemed to call to her, their open arms a welcome refuge from the horror these last few years of working under Chalmun were. She could hear the cries of stormtroopers behind her, and fought the urge to stare back at the scene unfolding around her.

A droid beeped and whistled to Nina as she neared the ship, her feet hitting the steeled exterior of the spaceport as she bounded towards the ship. Her eyes were wild as the tingly feeling in her fingers and toes returned as it had all those times beforehand in the cantina.

"Aaah!" She heard the strangled cry of Barrett behind her, turning as she touched the exterior door of the ship.

Amidst a dozen stormtroopers with an empty gun stood the raven-haired man, his eyes watching her as she stood at the slowly opening door of the ship. He frantically waved his arm, motioning for her to get on the ship as he picked up one of the fallen trooper's blaster rifles, still shooting. More soldiers arrived, cutting the captain off from the ship. The tingling in her fingers heightened as she felt her world suddenly slow, the realization of the moment dawning on her.

She squeezed her eyes shut, as the pain in her fingers heightened, and she felt them grasp something in the air in front of her. The droid above her kept bleeping and buzzing in amazement, though nothing tore her mind away from the concentration in her hands.

 _A jacket?_

Nina could barely control what has happening with her hands, though her eyes remained shut as she pulled the air- no… the jacket…?

Well, whatever she was holding, closer and closer to the ship.

The commotion around her died down as she felt her eyes slide open, and a sight more confusing and crazy than anything else this day held before her eyes.

Floating above her in the air was the man she had been saved by, Barrett Vance, his eyes frozen on her as the beams of light from the other members of the small battle bounced off an invisible shield-like form that surrounded the entire ship.

"Holy... How did you do that?" Barrett called excitedly from above her, his eyes wide as Nina slowly pulled him back to the ship, the feeling of the invisible jacket within her grip an entirely crazy idea to her.

"Uh…." She called from the door of the ship before she felt the tingling in her fingers subside, and a splitting headache hit her, knocking her to her knees.

Her eyes blinked vividly as she felt the body of Barrett clatter to the ramp of ship, rocking her back and forth as waves of pain filled her mind, and she felt him pull her into the ship, shouting commands to the droid above them and firing his blaster.

Somewhere, across the galaxy, she felt someone call to her again from the beyond, as she felt the cold floor of Barrett's ship beneath her.

 _See you soon, my sweet Nathalia…_

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 _We hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! If you wouldn't mind leaving a review to tell us how we're doing, we'd appreciate it! Hope to see you guys soon! Thanks!_

 _Alice, out! :)_


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys, I'm Danny, the second half of our writing duo. We've been working hard to get this next chapter up on the interwebs, so please be sure to follow and review it. It would mean a lot! Thanks for reading!

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He didn't know what just happened. He had no way of explaining it rationally. All that Barrett knew was that they needed to get as far away from Mos Eisley as possible.

After pulling Nina in as the ramp shut closed and hermetically sealed, he bent down to look at her closer as she writhed in pain, gently checking her pulse. Still alive. He slipped the jacket off of her and placed it in a LoungePort chair before setting her down in the one next to it. Then he scrambled toward the cockpit like a bolt of lightning, calling up to his droid.

"Jeight, get us outta here!"

An excited whistle permeated the air as Barrett climbed up the ladder and into the cockpit, where his droid friend had just pulled the ship out of the spaceport. The stormtrooper continued their barrage of blaster bolts, but arms fire would barely damage the deflector shield.

"I'll take it from here, buddy. Good work." Barrett patted R2-J8 on the dome before taking the controls, flying across the desert and back into the Jundland Wastes. No one would find them for now, but word would soon spread of what happened. A stranger drops in on a would-be rape, starts a gunfight to protect the proprietor of the most popular cantina in town, goes on to kidnap the would-be victim (who just so happens to be Chalmun's slave), kills a few Imperial soldiers, and then blasts his way out of Mos Eisley after discovering that his cargo has mystical powers. Chalmun and the surviving stormtroopers would describe his face, his figure, his… Everything. Both parties, Chalmun and the Empire, would probably offer a substantial reward to whoever brought this slave-stealer and soldier-killer to justice, dead or alive.

But for now, Barrett was alive. Jeight was alive. The _Gorskin_ flew true. And the job was done, the most important part. What's more, Barrett kinda liked the girl. She was a bit naive, sure, but she was feisty, and a little mysterious. Pretty easy on the eyes, too. He stopped thinking about her too much, knowing that he wouldn't be with her for much longer. She didn't seem to like him, anyway. Probably never would. But that didn't matter. Soon he would have his money, go incognito for a few months, wait out the bounty hunters and the Empire, maybe pay some people to clear his name, then get back to work. Meanwhile, the Rebellion would take this girl and… Use her for something. Barrett figured it must have something to do with that little stunt she pulled back in Mos Eisley.

R2-J8 whistled and beeped, asking what would be done next.

"Uh, I think we'll set her down on the far edge of the Dune Sea. Doubt the Empire can reach us there," Barrett replied to his little red friend, who let out a whine in response. "Jeight, I think Sand People are the least of my worries right now. Just make sure our sensors are up after we land so we're not ambushed, okay, buddy?"

"Jeight?" Barrett looked over his shoulder for the source of the question, finding that Nina had made her way to the cockpit.

"Good to see you looking normal again, Nathalia…" Barrett said, setting the ship into auto-landing sequence when he reached a desirable location in the barren desert. He stood and indicated to his droid. "Nathalia, R2-J8. Co-pilot, first mate, and friend. Jeight, Nathalia."

Jeight peeped and squeaked a greeting to their newest passenger.

"Where did you hear Nathalia?" She scowled, crossing her thin arms over her chest while watching the man in front of her with fierce eyes, the pain he saw only a few moments ago now completely gone from her demeanor.

"My client gave me your information. That's your name, isn't it? Or did I go all this way for the wrong girl?"

"No, you've got her." She nodded. "I just haven't heard that name in forever. It's Nina, really."

Barrett nodded. "Well, welcome aboard the _Gorskin_. She'll be your home for as long as you're with us. Feel free to claim any bunk you want in the crew quarters. Also, if you're looking for a more… appropriate outfit, there are some spare clothes in some of the footlockers in crew quarters. If you're facing the ladder, it's the first door on the left. Refresher's the first door on the right. It's just us three aboard. See any strangers, please say something to us." Barrett stated seriously, despite how unrealistic the situation sounded, "I don't think I'm forgetting anything. Jeight?"

A delighted squeak followed. "He says he's glad to have you aboard."

"Polite." She hummed quietly, running a hand through her hair. "Any secret compartments holding aliens I should know about? Or maybe another droid that wants to kill me or two?"

"No, I'm afraid you're the closest thing to cargo we've got today," Barrett replied, smirking. Jeight chuckled.

"How charming…" She mumbled quietly, fingering the bottom of her shorts. Silence fell over the cabin.

"Here, lemme show you around," Barrett offered, rising from the pilot's station and heading over to the ladder, "Jeight, turn on the sensors. Holler if you pick up anything bigger than a womp rat."

"You really don't have a better name for him than the last two letters of his true name?" She smirked as she followed Barrett down the ladder.

"Hey, too many of the little guys go by 'Artoo' as it is," Barrett replied, "and besides, Jeight is special. I fixed him up myself after finding him all banged up in the Coruscant Underworld. Personality matrix and optic sensors were still in tact, but everything else was busted. So, I bought replacement parts, thought it'd be a satisfying weekend hobby to fix up an old astro droid, but before I knew it I was up late one night putting on the finishing touches on him. Even painted the chassis and dome myself. Not my best work, the paint-job, but hey, I tried. Now, come years later, he's the closest thing to a friend I've got in the whole galaxy, and that suits me fine."

Nina crossed her arms over her chest, following the man through the ship. "Whatever makes you sleep at night, buddy."

"Those doors at each end past the crew quarters are the engine rooms, not too much to see. Head past the exit ramp, got the LoungePort. Folks who don't like the cockpit or talk too much usually spend the trip here. That big machine in the middle is the reactor core, powers everything on this ship. The two big doors on either side opposite the reactor lead to cargo holds and lifts, the two doors facing diagonally on the stern side are escape pods, and on the other side of the reactor, we've got a repair bay and an engineering station. Two doors opposite this are for miscellaneous storage, and what is usually the stern viewport in the factory versions of the Class 720 has been modified into a stern remote laser turret that can be operated here or at the gunner's station in the cockpit. There are similar remote turrets on the starboard and port sides, and… I think that's all you need to know. Any questions?" Barrett leaned up against a wall, his arms folded across his chest.

"Science, machines, and other stuff I know nothing about. Cool. " Nina drawled as they ended the short tour. "But, by the way..."

The man looked back up to the scantily clad woman. "Yeah?"

She seemed to take a deep breath, preparing herself for the words she was about to say. "Thanks, I guess. For saving me out there. I would've been in a much stickier situation if you hadn't showed up."

"Don't mention it. It didn't exactly go as smooth as I'd hoped, but…" Barrett chuckled as he stood up straight. "Come on, let's get you to crew quarters. You must be exhausted. At least, I know I am."

"Oh, yeah. Sounds good." She nodded, her hand going towards the thick braid down her back and bringing it over her shoulder. "Where did you say the refresher was?"

"First door on the right," Barrett said, pointing down the hallway towards the starboard engine room.

"And extra outfits in the footlockers in the crew quarters, right?"

"I'll just get one for you while you freshen up. No pun intended."

"Oh God," She giggled, running a free hand through her bangs and looking at him through the fallen locks of hair. She did that often, he noticed. Ran a hand through those curly auburn locks and let them fall carelessly over her face. "Do you do that often?"

"What, give girls clothes? Not very often. Make puns? I usually keep them to myself, so don't worry." He smiled, watching those grey eyes roll at him, and ignoring the twinge of happiness it brought him.

"Oh, great, I have a terrible joker in my midst." Nina laughed.

Barrett scoffed. "Terrible? My jokes are _not_ terrible." He said, wandering the opposite direction to find a uniform that might fit her.

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This one's short and sweet for today, but Alice or I will post the next chapter very soon.

And just so you all know, the 'Gorskin' is named after a species of giant turtles in the Star Wars universe, since Barrett's ship looks like a turtle. I know it sounds funny, but I wanted to name it after something turtle-esque from Star Wars.

Anyways, don't forget to follow and review. Thank you for reading, and may the Force be with you!


	4. Chapter 4

Hey there! Alice again, back with chapter 4 of Star Wars: Revelation for you guys!

Both Danny and I'd like to thank everyone who's been following and liking our story, and a very special thanks to 'Use Your Illusion Act III' for our VERY FIRST REVIEW! I woke up this morning and it was honestly the best feeling ever to hear from one of our own readers. We love feedback, and we appreciate advice from those of you that have it! Now, without further ado, let's bring on Chapter 4 of the story!

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Nina had to admit, Barrett was a nice guy when he wasn't being attacked by Imperial soldiers or held at gunpoint. Easy on the eyes, yes, but a little too cocky for her. Maybe if she was prettier he might've taken an interest in her, and led her away from whatever fate this 'client' had for her that took her away from that smelly, sticky bar.

A thought dawned on Nina as she rounded the corner, entering into the refresher with a barely-contained smile on her face.

She was out. She was out of that hell hole forever, hopefully. Maybe this guy was more of a gentleman than Chalmun and those other men were to her. Didn't require a groping with the start of every day, didn't force her into those horrid excuses for uniforms, and didn't let the men around her drool over her skin as if it was a delightful meal for the first time in a week.

Before she had worked in the bar, she was a household slave to Chalmun, cleaning up around his house, dodging the torturous beatings he bestowed upon the slave that didn't do the most work that day. She still held the scars from a few of those lashings across her back, a painful reminder of what she was to that beast.

A reflection of a tiny girl crossed Nina's gaze as she looked up to find locks a shade of deep red falling down the thin face that was once full of wonder and delight, but now harbored feelings of fear and lost hope for the galaxy. As Nina's eyes traveled farther down the mirror in front of her, the thin evidence of ribs protruding from her bare stomach made her feel ugly, made her feel skeleton-like.

It was what brought in the paying customers, Chalmun had said.

That starved, malnourished look. She valued the days she was allowed to eat something, but slowly, she became a shell of what she used to be. A weak, powerless shell that wore the uniform of a bastard's establishment.

Tiny tan blotches marred the area below her hip where she could still feel the man's hands sliding up and down, up and down, each time growing closer to her...

"Stop!" She whispered at herself, tearing herself away from the mirror and towards the shower in the 'fresher, slowly turning it on and watching the water pour out. She shed the uniform for what may have been the last time, tossing it away from her triumphantly. A tiny twinge of freedom and excitement filled her.

The last time. The very last time she would wear it. She could barely contain her overwhelming joy.

With a smile, the girl bounded into the shower, slowly and smoothly washing the sand off of her with each shaft of water that hit her. Delicate fingers went to her braid as she undid the simple twist and let the dark ruby tresses fall against her body, barely reaching to the base of her shoulderblades.

Thoughtfully, with almost a reverent mindset, Nina washed every inch of her body, scrubbing the skin harder in some places than in others as she held no thought of her future in her head. For a rare moment, she felt she could be at peace by herself, even while another man was aboard the ship.

"You almost done in there?" The voice of Barrett called through the shower room, as she turned off the running water and reached for a towel on a rack a few feet away.

"Um, yes!" She replied, drying off quickly as she heard an 'alright' from beyond the door.

Silence filled the refresher as she stepped out of the shower, wrapping the towel around her body and reaching towards the pile of clothes that had been shoved through a small crack in the door. She quickly shed the towel and pulled on the clothes that sagged over her small frame, tying her hair in a simple knot on her head. The clothes, while a tiny bit large, did their job. Barrett had picked out a black tunic and some green cargo pants, along with a pair of boots and a few different mismatching undergarments. After choosing what suited her best, Nina returned to the mirror once more.

Nina smiled as she looked back at the girl, realizing the strength and perseverance she had lost before this and emerged from the refresher a new woman.

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Barrett left the clothing where Nina had requested, then returned to his chair in the cockpit next to his droid partner. He looked out over the rolling sands of the Dune Sea, admiring the desolate beauty of the landscape. The emptiness. He had grown up on Coruscant, the glittering metropolis that marked the capital of the former Galactic Republic and the current Galactic Empire. It was always so busy. Speeders zoomed above the already towering buildings in marked lanes, the streets were crowded, there was hardly any room for anything that was not fuel for industry or civilization. Barrett frowned when he thought back to his days when he ran with the Black Sun, their rowdy parties always preventing him from getting sufficient sleep every now and then. But this quiet, remote scene was one of the most beautiful things he had ever witnessed. Nothing for miles around but banthas, womp rats, and nomadic Sand People. No factories, no speeder traffic, no loud celebrations, just silence. The stars were so extremely clear. Back on Coruscant, it's nearly impossible to see them against the night sky thanks to the neon and fluorescent glow of all the lights. But seeing the stars on this night was therapeutic to Barrett, easing the fear of the future consequences his earlier adventure could bring upon himself and those in his care. While observing the sky, the smuggler recounted the events of his job back in Mos Eisley.

Jeight bleeped questioningly, breaking the silence that pervaded the cockpit of the _Gorskin_.

"Nina's taking a shower," Barrett replied, still staring at the stars. Another series of beeps came from the droid. "No, I don't know how long she's staying with us. We've gotta take her to the Rebellion. Who knows, maybe they can help clear my name after all that crap that happened back there…"

There was another moment of silence before Barrett spoke again.

"There's something… Odd about her. She did this… Thing… Back at the port. She picked me up without touching me and was deflecting the shots from the stormtroopers… And I've got no way to explain it. At first, I thought this would be just some ordinary job, but now… We need to get her as far away from the Empire as possible. Whatever she is, she's got power, and the Empire would only abuse it. The Rebels may be able to keep her safe."

R2-J8 chirped smugly at his creator, nudging him slightly. "I know, you think I'm crazy, but… She's special. And she needs to be kept safe." Barrett said, hoping his companion would sympathize. All Jeight did was make a noise akin to a catcall. "Great, thanks buddy. Real great talk." He replied sarcastically.

He slid down the ladder and bumped into Nina, all dressed and clean. He was taken aback by her looks, which were already apparent the moment he laid eyes on her, but were accented now. And that hair, those eyes…

"You look… Great! I hope what I picked isn't too bad. There wasn't much." Barrett smiled, admiring her figure and appearance.

"Yeah," she mumbled, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "Thanks for the clothes. Much better than those stupid uniforms."

"Don't mention it. Are you hungry?"

She nodded a little, stifling a yawn with her delicate hand. "A little bit."

"Starboard cargo hold has a pantry in it. Sure, it may all be preserved stuff, but it's edible," Barrett said, heading over to the cargo hold door.

"Food is food." Nina replied, crossing her arms over her chest and following the man through the dimly lit ship.

The door hissed open as soon as Barrett stood in front of it. He proceeded down the stairs and onto the hold floor, where he shoved a crate full of mechanic's tools to the side to access the food storage. Sliding open a compartment on the wall, he found several standard-issue Imperial field rations along with some dried jogan fruit. Looking around again, he found an out-of-place refrigerated container full of bottles of water and a variety of fruits and vegetables. "I really need to organize this someday…" Barrett mumbled, turning back to Nina, "Well, help yourself."

Nina looked at the food with wide eyes as she took the jogan fruit and a bottle of water. "Haven't eaten this well in years..." She replied, taking small bites of the food and savoring every last bit.

Barrett sat on top of an empty barrel, reaching down into the refrigerated crate for a manta pear. He hadn't even realized how hungry he was himself till he had seen the aftermath of a rather large bite. "So," Barrett began, gulping, "how do you like the ship?"

She swallowed, looking around her shoulders before returning to her meal. "It's big. Wouldn't think a smuggler would be able to afford something as extravagant as this."

"Well, you're right. I couldn't afford something like this. I won it in a game of sabacc from this Rodian on Nar Shaddaa a few years back," Barrett said, surveying the cargo hold, "and now, she's mine. I've made a few modifications over the years, made her my own. She's no YT-series freighter by any means, but the _Gorskin_ always gets the job done." He pounded on the walls of the hold like a parent would reassuringly pat a child.

Nina gave a small laugh, before smiling back at Barrett. "Well, it's much nicer than a smelly old bar with handsy men, if you ask me."

"You'll find we're not too smelly around here. Or handsy. Watch out, though. That astro droid is a real scoundrel." Barrett winked as he took a final bite from his pear before tossing it in a garbage chute.

A beat of silence passed while the two chewed their food. Nina felt the awkwardness of the entire situation fall over her as she struggled to start a conversation. "So, um, do you get many passengers on the _Gorskin_ often?"

"I've had my fair share of passengers, but they're nothing like you." Barrett thought back to the spaceport incident where she saved his life, which sent a slight chill down his spine. He tried not to show it. "You take orders in dangerous situations a lot better than some of the other people on this ship. You helped us get out of there as smooth as we could have in a situation that dicey. So, thanks for that."

Before she could speak again, Barrett asked, "But would you mind telling me what the hell that was you did back in Mos Eisley?"

Nina cast her eyes downwards, watching her toes with fake interest. "I-I don't... I mean... I don't quite-"

"If you don't know, then guess. What happened?" He asked, the playful demeanor gone and a stern shine in his eyes.

Nina furrowed her eyebrows. "Look, I have no idea myself. I felt my eyes shut, and then I was holding onto your jacket and you weren't by the stormtroopers anymore." She replied, frustration evident in her tone.

"Okay, alright. I'm sorry." Barrett stood up and took a few steps closer to Nina. "I won't be nosy."

She remained silent, shrugging her shoulder as she returned her interest to the rest of the fruit in front of her, though the thought remained in her head.

Her eyes returned to his as she ran a nervous hand through her hair, letting her bangs fall over her eyes once more. Barrett sighed and glanced out one of the cargo hold viewports, thinking of something to say. He turned toward it, swearing he saw something moving against the sky.

"Barrett," Nina began, her eyes falling to the floor once more. "Who is the client that wants me?"

"The client? Oh, yeah. I was hired by-" He cut himself off when he realized what he saw. "…There's a Star Destroyer out there! … Damnit, it's searching for us. We gotta get outta here, now!" Barrett sprang to action, getting to the door and motioning for Nina to follow.

"Escape first, talk later, remember? Come on!"

"Hey!" Nina yelled, following Barrett out of the cargo hold and towards the cockpit. "What-wait, why is a Star Destroyer outside?"

"Well, we _did_ shoot our way out of their curfew, but-" A blast from the Star Destroyer rocked the _Gorskin_ , tossing Nina and Barrett against a wall of the hallway. "Jeight, amplify the deflector shield and begin the takeoff sequence!" He called, helping his companion to her feet. Barrett scrambled up the ladder into the cockpit and sat in the pilot's seat, frantically flipping switches and preparing for a bumpy ride. Nina hopped into the gunner's console, strapping herself in before another volley of fire rocked the ship. The freighter lurched up from the ground and zoomed across the desert, flying low and fast in an attempt to outmaneuver the capital ship on their tail. A hail of laser cannon blasts rained down upon them, most striking the sand around the _Gorskin_ or being buffered by the deflector shield, which wouldn't be able to make many more hits like that. Eventually, Barrett's ship was out of the Destroyer's firing range. But Jeight's bleeping only heralded a new problem.

"They're scrambling fighters, I'm gonna have to get tricky here!" Barrett said, veering the _Gorskin_ into the Jundland Wastes' labyrinth of canyons. "Hey, Nina! You a good shot?"

"I've worked in a cantina as a slave all my life and you think I know how to fire a gun?!" She screeched as they flew through the sandy cliffs.

"I figured you'd say something like that! Anyways, you're sitting at the gunner's console. Remember what I said about the remote turrets? Well, those are TIE fighters, and they are way faster than we are. Hopefully putting 'em in tighter quarters'll keep 'em from taking evasive action. You need to shoot them down if we wanna get out of here alive." Barrett shouted, flicking switches on his console. "Don't worry, it's easy. Just point and shoot. It's us or them, now!"

"Us or them?!" Nina screeched as she took hold of the controller and felt the trigger beneath her fingers. The screen popped up with a view of the enemy's ship in front of her, the tiny triangular cursor flying around the screen. "Wait, just press the button?"

"Line up one of those fighters and press those buttons on the stick!"

With a shaky nod, Nina watched the terminal, pressing the buttons haphazardly. Bursts of scarlet blossomed outside of the ship, the sand and stone falling like rain around them.

"Careful, now! Use your instincts!" Barrett called, maneuvering swiftly in-between the canyon's walls.

"Instincts!" She said to herself as she watched the small screen, the image of a distant Star Destroyer staring back at her menacingly.

With a short stroke of courage, Nina pressed a button, striking the fighter behind her. An explosion that rocked the cockpit came from behind as Nina looked to find the ship she had shot at, now shattered and deep within the canyon as they lifted out of the cliffs.

"I did it!" She exclaimed, her eyes widening as they took off towards the twinkling stars. "I hit the ship!"

"Keep it up! There's still three more on our tail!" Barrett took a sharp right and slipped past a stone pillar, which an unsuspecting TIE got a little too close to. With its right wing clipped, it spun out of control, smashing into the cliff wall. "Make that two! Deflector shield is holding for now, but those TIEs sure aren't making things easy!"

"Okay!" Nina called out, her mouth twisting into a concentrated line as she watched the small screen where the enemy's ships were weaving in and out. She pushed the button a few more times, letting out a small scream as she watched another ship sink to the sandy bluffs of Tatooine.

In a last-ditch effort, Nina held down the trigger button of the laser cannon and let the fire rain down wildly over the last ship as it sent tiny green beams back at the _Gorskin_. Despite the close quarters, it bobbed and weaved with relative ease, still firing.

"Don't let up! He's good, but things are gonna get pretty tight up ahead!" Barrett shouted, eyeing the narrow section of the gorge ahead with concern.

"Um…" Nina breathed out as she watched the enemy ship, and recognized the tiny tingling coming back to her fingers, much like it had earlier this evening at the hangar. "Barrett! I think we should get out of here!"

"What do you mean?" He called back to her, as she released her grip on the controller, her hands going to her temples.

"Just get as far away as possible!" She screeched back, the tingling growing until a sharp pain filled Nina's senses once more. She struggled to gain the upper hand of her emotions, the fear and anger and stress of the situation pushing her fingers to the brink.

 _Use the Force, Nina. Use the Force._

In a spurt of the moment decision, she shut her eyes and pressed down on the trigger once more, letting the fire engulf the ship behind her. Her eyes blinked open to find the ship that had been tailing them was now only a crushed, smoking ruin at the depths of the canyon. Nina's shoulders slumped forwards, as she began to heave out the breaths she didn't know she was holding in, the faraway voice of Barrett calling to her from the other side of the cockpit.

"Nina!" Barrett seemed to echo in her ears as the tingling sensation left her fingers and her eyes struggled to stay open.

Thinking quickly, Barrett pulled out of the canyon and began exiting Tatooine's atmosphere before the Destroyer could send any more fighters after them. "Jeight, set the the nav computer!" Barrett shouted, frantically staring over his shoulder at Nina's dazed figure, struggling to stay upright in front of the gunner's station. The astromech whined and jittered at him. "I don't know, anywhere but here!"

Suddenly, the ship broke from the planet's gravitational pull. Jeight calculated the coordinates, giving Barrett a positive whistle. Without any hesitation, the pilot slammed down the switch initiating lightspeed. Time slowed momentarily, then burst into a race of stars and azure light streaming past the cockpit. Whatever was scheming on Tatooine trying to capture them or kill them was now lightyears away… For now. Barrett sighed with relief, then rose to check on Nina. "Hey, you alright?"

Her eyes slowly, but surely began to blink open, clouded by fatigue and confusion. "W-What…" She mumbled as she let her head fall back to the seat, looking up at Barrett. Her auburn locks fell into her eyes as she struggled to keep her eyes open. She could barely focus on what was going on. "Did, did we get 'em?"

"Yeah, you got 'em. That was some good shooting back there. Can you stand?" He turned the seat around and helped the girl to her slightly unstable feet as she focused on her breathing, her head still fuzzy. He slipped her arm over his shoulder, then wrapped his own arm around her, helping her out of the cockpit, slowly down the ladder, and into the crew quarters, sitting down on one of the bunks by her side.

"Ugh..." She mumbled as a hand went to her forehead. Her brain seemed to vibrate within her skull, just like it had when she saved Barrett. "Everything's fuzzy…"

"Here, lay down. Make yourself comfortable."

Nina nestled herself within the bunk, threadbare blankets and thin pillows conforming to her position as she rolled away from the light. Barrett frowned, scratching the back of his head and wondering what he could do. He rose and leaned against the bunk, watching Nina's sides rise and fall with each breath she took.

Things were getting crazier every passing minute, and Barrett only knew the half of it.

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Well, thanks for reading another chapter of Star Wars: Revelation, and I hope you all have a wonderful, Star Wars-filled day! Please don't forget to review, follow, and favorite this story to get the latest updates when we release a new chapter. Anyways, thanks again, and may the force be with you! :)


	5. Chapter 5

Alice here! Not much to say today, but enjoy this new chapter! Please Review!

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When Nina woke, the pressure in her head had finally subsided. She was under a few different blankets, though she didn't quite know how she initially got there. The last thing she remembered was that awful pain in her hands, and the ships that had been following them exploding into a million different pieces.

 _It happened again..._ Nina thought to herself. _This hasn't happened for years..._

The last time Nina has felt this way was after her very first day in the cantina. She remembered the touches of calloused hands against her torso, and the crude remarks the patrons made to her.

She had taken an order from someone at the bar, when a gravelly voice called at her from across the cantina, his words laced with explicit terms Nina had never heard before.

When the tingling in her fingers began, she was carrying a tray to a nearby table, the man watching her intently while she struggled to keep her cool. She didn't want another beating from Chalmun, that was for sure.

 _Why, if I could just give him a piece of my mind..._ Nina thought to herself as the tingling grew, until suddenly, there was a loud smash, and she looked back to find the rude man slumped against the table, blood pouring out of his nose while his buddies watched in a mix of confusion and horror.

That was six years ago. She had convinced herself that it wasn't her fault, but after today, she wasn't so sure.

 _Who is this client? And does it have something to do with this?_

With careful concentration, she slowly rolled over, swinging her legs off the edge of the bunk and staring out into the mostly empty crew quarters. Mostly empty, of course, besides the small astromech staring at her creepily from the edge of her bed.

Nina gave a small squeak, backing up against the bed as the robot whistled and beeped at her. She ran a hand through her bangs once more, before staring back at the small droid, a smirk on her face. "Do you usually do this to passengers every morning?"

A short whistle followed by some beeps was the response.

"Great talk." She said sarcastically. "What's the plan for today?"

Jeight rolled backwards, beeping a few more times before heading for the door.

With a small sigh, Nina reached for one of the thin blankets, wrapping it around her thin frame and standing silently, while she heard the gentle footfalls of someone approaching outside her room. Barrett appeared in the doorway, his hair slightly wet from washing in the 'fresher and a thin green t-shirt replacing his long coat. He stifled a laugh at Nina before throwing a few pieces of fruit at her, Jeight beeping quietly behind him. "Nice hair."

Nina scowled, rolling her eyes before slipping the blanket on her shoulders over her head. "At least I don't have a beard that looks like a molting bantha."

A hand covered Barrett's heart in mockery. "How dare you!" He replied as Nina stood, pulling the blanket around her tighter.

"Oh, so sorry…" She said sarcastically, peeking out from her blanket cloak and taking a bite of her breakfast. "So, fearless captain, what shall we be doing today?"

"Well," Barrett replied, combing his fingers through his hair. "I'm supposed to get a transmission from the client today, as to where we're meant to drop you off."

Nina's face fell. She was to be given off to another owner soon enough, and these exciting adventures were soon to end as much as she wished it to not be true. "Barrett, who is this client?"

"Well, there's no harm in telling you," Barrett said, leaning against a wall by the door, "I was hired by the Rebel Alliance. I normally wouldn't take a job from the likes of them; puts a pretty big target on my back. But with the funds they were packing, I couldn't refuse. Empire'll get off my ass eventually."

"The Rebel Alliance?" Nina whispered, feeling both mystified and fearful, "You mean… all those rumors about Luke Skywalker fighting the Empire-"

"All true." Barrett replied, arms crossed. "They're putting up a good fight, but I don't see them winning the war."

"So, you side with the Empire..?" Nina asked hesitantly, letting the blanket slip from her head.

Barrett smirked. "Well, with their strict trade laws, they do provide me most of my income. Indirectly, of course. But I don't plan on submitting myself to being boarded by their customs officers. I'll resist arrest every time, even kill 'em if I have to," He moved to the other side of the room, taking off his shirt, revealing a toned upper torso. Sliding open a compartment in the wall, he sorted through a series of hanged clothing till he found a shirt he liked, a collared navy v-neck with long sleeves. "I'm not part of this conflict; I'm on no one's side."

"Can't you do that somewhere else..." Nina asked quietly, sliding the blanket back over her head and turning towards the wall, trying to tear her eyes and thoughts away from his body. She couldn't help but notice the scars; painful lines that covered parts of his torso.

"Oh, don't be so jittery," Barrett said, staring with some annoyance at the blanketed form facing the other side of the room, "it could be a lot worse. Right, Jeight?" A distant, worried peep crept into the room, which allowed a chuckle to escape the smuggler's lips.

"Still," she mumbled, rolling back to stare at the floor. "Don't you have your own place? Like your own bunk?"

"Yeah. You were in it." He slipped the shirt on over his head, tucking it in his pants, then throwing on a bulky vest and wrapping his gun belt around his waist.

"Oh..." She blushed, turning back to her pillow. "Well thank you."

"For what?" Barrett asked while donning a dark green flight jacket and checking himself in the mirror, muttering something about needing a shave.

"For letting me sleep here." She said, staring aimlessly ahead. "It was super comfy, you know, when I wasn't being stalked by a robot."

"He kept asking me whether or not he should zap you, kick you out so I could sleep. I told him to just stay and keep an eye on you instead," Barrett turned from analyzing his stubble back to the girl. "I guess he took it to heart. Anyway, we're far from any Imperial ships I know of. I locked the ship in orbit around Dantooine, a real backwater planet. Empire'd never come here."

"Sounds delightful." She drawled, standing and walking out of the room. "I'm gonna take a shower, to fix my hair, you know?"

"'Kay." Barrett took the opportunity to make his bunk, folding the extra blankets and placing them back in their storage unit, then fluffing the awful excuse for a pillow in an effort to make it look a little more comfortable. He eventually retreated to the back of the ship, accessing one of the stern storage units that acted as a makeshift armory. It wasn't much, just a weapon rack lined with some blasters, including the E-11 blaster rifle he had used during the escape from Mos Eisley. Barrett snorted, realizing how little time had passed since he met Nina. Other armaments included a dangerous DXR-6 disruptor rifle (which had not yet seen use), a few X-30 Lancer pistols, two BlasTech scatterguns, some Firelance and DLT-20A blaster rifles, and several concealable pistols used for holdout weapons. Barrett sat down and examined one of the Lancers, soon taking it apart to examine each part, then putting it back together and checking the sights. He loaded a mostly drained power pack into it and aimed at a target on the wall, opening fire. The gun emptied what was left in the cartridge with accuracy - it was in better condition than Barrett had originally thought. Shrugging, he slipped it into a holster on a spare gun belt and brought it to the cockpit, sitting down in his chair looking down on the green-yellow planet below.

The close to silent squeak of Nina's careful steps around the ship alerted his senses as he whipped around to find her holding a helmet, an item from his past. A past he wanted to forget. He held his breath and waited for the question he avoided most.

"W-What's this?" She asked with a shaky voice, trying to stop the trembling. "I-I found it in the place you said the clothes were, the lockers. I-I know the logo."

Barrett exhaled through his nose, shaking his head slightly with a frown on his face. "You looked through the wrong cabinet then," He said, rising from his chair slowly and quickly pulling the item from her hand. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell you, but I guess there's no hiding anything from you." His fingers traced over the symbol painted on the forehead, clearly remembering his days as a soldier for the galaxy's most notorious criminal syndicate.

"The Black Sun." She replied quietly after a beat of silence, backing up from the man. "They're that gang. They kill for fun, Chalmun had said. Nasty, insane people."

A dry chuckle escaped Barrett's lips as his eyes grew solemn. "Calling the Black Sun a gang is like calling the Clone Wars a bar fight. The Black Sun is everywhere. Prince Xizor, a Falleen noble, calls all the shots. He's just as influential as the Emperor himself, if not more so. Infamous for smuggling and piracy, but… There's so much more to it than that. They're ruthless. Relentless. Their grip on the criminal underworld of the galaxy is tight, and no one messes with them and lives for long."

"And you work for them." Nina deadpanned, closing her eyes and taking another step back. "You work for them..."

"No," Barrett said firmly. His eyes were shut tight as he tried to burn the gruesome images of days gone by out of his mind. The corruption, the death, the inhumanity of it all. There was no escaping it, no chance to fix it. Only live with the hope he wouldn't let anything like that happen again. "I left them three years ago. That's why I'm here. They think I'm dead or rotting in some far-off prison. Maybe. Bottom line is that I don't work with them anymore. I… I don't."

Barrett sat back down, breathing heavier than usual while his mind raced through a thousand thoughts. Pangs of guilt, regret, and pain burst in his chest like rupturing organs as the ghosts of the past formed in his mind. His parents. Commander Wyzek. Prince Xisor. His friends Zare and Jahrod. The children. Resdon. His hand covered his eyes as he sighed, slouching forward in his chair and shaking his head.

A gentle hand reached out to his shoulder as he recounted the past faster than he wished it. He looked up through slightly teary eyes to find the gentle smile of Nina staring back at him, something he thought he didn't deserve. "It's okay, Barrett. It's in the past."

Her hands slowly took his, rubbing tiny circles over his calloused knuckles. They were soft, gentle hands he'd expect a child to have, but seemed to suit her well. She was small for her age, with acute features that seemed to fascinate him as he held on tighter to Nina. Barrett inhaled sharply, reluctantly pulling his hands from hers as his focus returned to the helmet, it's visor staring back at him mockingly. Scowling, he grasped it and stormed out of the cockpit, intent on finding the nearest garbage chute to discard this last piece of the past he could never bring himself to destroy. It was a fine helmet, similar in make to ones used by Imperial stormtroopers, but more effective, able to filter toxins as well as smoke. As useful as it was, the burning desire to destroy it trumped any reasonable argument for keeping it. He aggressively crammed it into the garbage chute, pressing a button to eject the assorted rubbish. Barrett then went to the stern gun and sat in the chair, watching his old helmet hurtle through space, further and further away. With a sigh, he went to the LoungePort and sat down while Nina descended the cockpit ladder in a forced silence.

"I'm sorry..." She said quietly, watching him from afar. "I shouldn't have gone in there."

"Call from Borgan should be in any minute," Barrett said, "then you'll be far from the Empire, slavers, criminals like me… You'll be safe."

"And how do you know I'll be safe?" Nina asked after a beat of silence, arms crossed. "How do you know the Rebels will protect me?"

"Honestly? I don't know how safe you'll be. But it'll be a helluva lot safer than you are right now, or were back on Tatooine. The Rebels have an army standing between their friends and the Empire. Right now, all you got is a washed-up smuggler and his astromech droid."

"Oh come on..." Nina rolled her eyes. "Washed up? You got us out of the Empire's grasp a few times. Pretty sure I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

"We've gotten lucky. But eventually that luck is gonna run out."

"It hasn't yet." Nina pointed out. "And that's not luck. It's skill."

"Look, kid," Barrett rose from the seat and approached the girl, her eyes searching higher for his, "I was hired by the Rebels to retrieve you and deliver you to them. And I intend to do that, because the last thing I need is the Empire _and_ the Alliance hunting me down. So, you -"

A series of high pitched beeps flew through the ship like startled mynocks. Barrett's eyes moved to the cockpit, then back at Nina's, then to the cockpit again as he approached the ladder. The holocom. He clicked a button on the pilot's console and Lieutenant Borgan's smaller holographic form appeared, his clean cut hair, steely eyes, and groomed beard silently commanding the respect an officer deserved. He smiled slightly when he saw Barrett, but he did not speak. Barrett went first.

"Lieutenant."

"Good to see you, Captain. I assume the mission was a success?"

"More or less. Had to mix with the Imperials, but-"

"Yes, I know. The Empire has been scouring the Tatoo System looking for you and the girl, it seems," Borgan stated coldly. "I was hoping you'd take a more subtle approach, but that doesn't matter now. You have the girl?"

"Yes. Would you like to-"

"Speak with her? I think I'll wait till you deliver her to us. I'm sending you the coordinates to our convoy now. Dock with my ship, a CR90 called the _Bright Horizon_ , and we shall receive you and your passenger."

"I'll set 'em now. See you around, Borgan."

"Captain Vance," The rebel said with a nod before his form disappeared from the console.

Barrett leaned back in his seat and inhaled deeply before releasing it in a quick, quiet sigh. Jeight's red and silver dome rotated to look at him. He returned the motion to the droid. "Punch in the coordinates." With a whistle, Jeight went to work. "We'll set off in an hour or so…"

* * *

After Barrett left to talk to the rebels, Nina sank into her chair, trying to hold back tears that threatened to fall.

She was to be sold off to the Rebel Alliance, without a second thought, just like every other moment in her pathetic life. Sold to be a slave when she was only seven years old by the orphanage she grew up in. Made into a barmaid at thirteen, where she was barely tall enough to see over the tables and counters in that smelly cantina. Stolen at seventeen, and taken aboard a crummy ship to meet her new owner.

All against her will.

 _Why would the Rebels even be remotely interested in me_? Nina thought to herself. _I can't fight, can't shoot a gun, can't even stay in a stressful situation for long before my fingers start tingling and I keel over in pain!_

A tear slipped down her slightly infant-like cheeks.

 _Useless. I'm just useless._

Her hand went to rub a tear off her cheek angrily. She couldn't let Barrett see her like this, a stupid mess of tears, curled up in a ball in a less than comfortable chair.

 _Maybe he'll just leave me alone,_ The girl thought. _Leave me alone, just like he will when we get to my new owners._

That sounded about right to Nina. The man only cared about himself, as far as she knew. And burying his skeletons in the closet as deep as they'll go. She scoffed to herself. To think she began to like him.

She wasn't the first one on this ship, and certainly not the last. She had to get that through her head, as much as her heart protested. She'd only be another passenger to him.

Those amber eyes haunted her of what could have been. A friendship? Maybe more?

She would never truly know.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please review! Or else I might cry with Nina.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the hiatus, guys, but this is Alice, back in action! Hope all is going well. Danny and I just finished putting on West Side Story at our local high school, and took a little break from the whole Star Wars fanfiction thing for awhile. But, worry not! We will hopefully be posting more up here, and hopefully, you guys will like it!

So, without further ado, let's take a look back at our two stars and how they're dealing with life as they know it right now!

* * *

"They're near Havath Minor?" Barrett muttered, "Empire'd sooner come to Dantooine than that gas ball…"

Nina hadn't returned to the cockpit since their conversation an hour ago. While he felt the need to go check on her, he pushed it away. The two needed time to sort out their own problems, alone. The Rebels were waiting.

"Alright, Jeight, time to go. Hyperdrive ready?" With an affirmative beep following his question, Barrett nodded. "Then here we go. Breaking out of the planet's orbit."

The _Gorskin_ 's engines fired, propelling the freighter away from the verdant agricultural planet and into the darkness of space. Barrett's eyes remained on the green-yellow orb until he could no longer see it from the cockpit. He thought about how it must be down there, a collection of farmers just practicing their trade far from the Galactic Civil War, far from organized crime, far from everything. There were people down there whose only worry was pulling in a good harvest for the season. No fears of enslavement, conquest, or death. Just simple, mundane troubles that Barrett and so many other galactic citizens could only dream about. Another thought crossed his mind: People had homes down there. Homes. Permanent residences. Most Dantooinians would never venture far beyond their own lands, let alone leave the planet entirely. Barrett's home was the _Gorskin_ , a Ghtroc Class 720 freighter he won in a gambling match. It had walls of cold durasteel and thick glass windows, no wood or stone or synthetic compounds. Barrett always viewed it as a temporary residence; a pit stop on the way to something more permanent. Until then, all he could do was dream about finding his permanent home while drifting from system to system, selling out his services to the highest bidder. A hard life, and not exactly a long one, but the idea of success and its profits has made men do much crazier things, like build superweapons able to destroy an entire planet.

Jeight's chirps brought Barrett back to reality. "Sorry, right. Got it." He muttered, initiating the _Gorskin_ 's jump to lightspeed.

* * *

 _She wore a thin leather uniform, one she had only seen in a dream before. A single braid trailed down her shoulder, while the rest of her hair was piled atop her head in a tight bun. Where had it come from? Wasn't she in Barrett's starship, awaiting her delivery to the Rebel Alliance?_

 _An older man stood before her, his eyes a sight that tugged at her oldest memories. What comfort she found in them, those beautiful, deep gray eyes…_

 _A thick brown robe covered his own set of the tan uniform as a small weapon was placed at his hip, one foreign to her. As she looked back to her own fingers, the same weapon stared back at her, willing itself to connect with her, to be held and used by her._

 _The scene changed suddenly, melting away to an underground base with plans and maps laid out across the dozens of screens and different counters. Standing at the table was a group of several rugged looking men and women in uniform. "While Rogue Squadron and the troops hold the line at Outpost Beta," An older officer began, "Renegade Squadron, you will protect the Ion Cannon team while running torch and burn on this base. The Empire cannot be allowed to reap important information from our databanks. Destroy everything, and set charges to destroy the base when the Imperial soldiers arrive. Commander Serra, you and your men know what to do."_

 _She shifted her eyes to an assemblage of men and women from various species in the galaxy, dressed in combat gear and white fatigues. But one caught her eye and didn't let go. It was Barrett. Barrett Vance. He was directly in front of Nina, dressed in a military uniform with his favorite DH-17 on his hip. The tiny emblem of the Rebel Alliance was on his shoulder. Barrett was standing to the left of the older man who was talking earlier, a man called "general" by the assembled soldiers. To the officer's left was a woman dressed in white with her brown hair woven into a braided crown atop her head nodded at the plan, adding onto the conversation._

 _And suddenly, the scene went black._

 _The feeling of a calloused hand that Nina knew slipped out of her own. Screaming. Terror. Fright. She felt her hands tingle once more, the tingling she knew to be only trouble._

 _And the famous symbol of the Rebellion, shattered into a dozen pieces before her. Bodies upon bodies were littered among the remains of broken ships. Blood scarred her memory, making a mosaic of broken dreams._

 _But the final scene hurt the most._

 _She saw those amber eyes she found solace in, staring back at her. As her vision drew back, she found hands shackled, legs bound. His clothes were in tatters, blood staining his lips and shirt. His mouth moved to say something, but a single sound rang out against his words._

 _A gunshot. A gunshot that vibrated Barrett's body and shook Nina to her core._

Barrett's stiff shake woke Nina more than her scream did.

"Hey!" He screamed at her as she struggled against his grasp around her shoulders. "Nina!"

She clamped her mouth shut, hands shaking as if she was in an earthquake. "W-What?!"

"Calm down!" He shouted back at her as she drew back, her eyes wide. "You were screaming in your sleep!"

Scenes she wished would have disappeared flashed before her eyes. Her in that uniform with the old man in front of her. The Rebel Alliance's defeat.

Barrett's eyes, staring back at her, the light in them gone forever.

Tears came to her eyes, joining the ones she didn't know were there. "It, I-I saw, y-you, and t-the R-rebels, and there was blood, a-and, …" She stuttered before she felt more tears come to her eyes.

Barrett's eyes stared back at her, the amber eyes that had been lifeless almost moments before. She pressed her fingers into her eyes once more, trying to blot out the vision. "N-No, it was j-just a dream, a stupid d-dream…"

The man in front of her wasn't so easily deterred. "We were in hyperspace on our way to the rendezvous point, then you started screaming, so I came to check on you, and you were writhing around on the floor, screaming your lungs out! Ain't exactly your typical night terror victim."

Nina pushed her head farther towards the ground, as the screams kept echoing in and out of her ears. "S-Stop… Stop the screams…"

A hand pushed her chin upwards, holding her upright as she replayed the events of the dream over and over in her head, Barrett searching her face. Her fingers wove themselves into her wavy hair, as if they were trying to pull the images out of her mind.

His thumb rubbed her smooth cheek as Nina involuntarily leaned into his touch. "Come on. Tell me."

She forced her head back down, ripping her head out of his grasp. "No, Barrett. Please… I d-don't want to talk..." A sob took over her words as she shook her head, drawing her knees up to her chest as if to hold herself away from him. Slowly, tentatively, Barrett snuck an arm around her, patting her gently on the back.

"I'm sorry, Neen." Barrett said quietly, patting her hair tenderly as he drew her closer to him, letting her rest in his lap gently. "It's okay. Just breathe. It was just a stupid dream."

She shook her head against his lean frame, wishing to pull away but not having the strength to. "I-I don't know. It seemed too real…"

"Relax," Barrett replied, pressing her hair back down against her head, "everything will be alright soon. The Rebels understand this sort of thing. They deal with it a lot."

Nina shook her head against his body as her hands shook with fear. "Please, j-just be quiet, Barrett…"

He nodded, rubbing her back kindly while letting her eyes cry themselves out. Before long, her breathing had slowed and she picked her head back up, eyes ruby red and exhausted. "I'm sorry." She murmured, rubbing her face harshly before leaning away from Barrett more and more until the two weren't touching anymore. "Thanks…"

Barrett nodded back at her, willing himself to not reach out to her and hold her longer. He gave a smile, a rare, sweet one. "Well, lucky for you, I have a soft spot for crying girls."

Nina smiled back, pulling her knees to her chest before tucking her chin over them. She had stopped shaking, even if it was only for a moment. The two sat in silence, not making eye contact with each other as they listened to the hum of the ship as Jeight piloted them towards the rendezvous point.

* * *

The Rebel convoy was a group of three Corellian frigates, headed off by Borgan's _Horizon_. The crisp white and red paint on the hulls made the starships look more royal than rebellious. In fact, the only feature denoting the vessels' allegiance was the Rebel insignia on the side. The paint here looked fresher than on other parts of the ship. Barrett let out a low whistle.

"Jeez." Nina breathed out from her seat behind Barrett in the cockpit. "Those make your ship look like a dump."

"Thanks," Barrett grumbled, fighting the urge to pop an insult back. He flicked open the comlink channels, broadcasting to the Rebel ships. "Alliance convoy, this is the _Gorskin_. Requesting permission to dock."

Nina had left Barrett for a seat in his bunk, trying to sort out her dream before she broke into tears again. The images never ceased, but at least she was able to hide herself from Barrett. She refused to talk about the dream anymore, and Barrett couldn't help but imagine what had actually happened in that mind of hers.

There was nothing but static for a moment, but then a woman with an aristocratic accent responded. " _Gorskin_ , this is _Bright Horizon_. Permission granted. Link with docking ring 2 and you will be escorted to the lieutenant's quarters. Welcome aboard, Captain Vance."

"That was easy." Nina replied, sinking back into her chair and pulling her knees to her chest, picking at her toenails.

"There are some boots near my bunk. Should be around your size."

Nina nodded to him silenty as she began to slide down the cockpit ladder, towards the crew quarters.

After easing into the docking ring on the side of the ship, Barrett got up from his seat and went for the ladder. A wistful beep drew him back to a sad looking Jeight. Barrett chuckled and sighed, then said, "Come on, buddy." With an excited series of chirps, the little droid sped for the airlock. The smuggler followed his little friend still smiling.

Nina was slowly trudging towards them, her feet swallowed by the boots which were obviously too big for her. She huffed a sigh, blowing her red hair out of her eyes before pulling her feet out of the shoes and tossing them back to the door near the crew quarters. Her eyes caught Barrett's as she blushed a bright pink. "Thanks for the boots, but I'll stick with my feet for now."

"Don't mention it," Barrett said smugly. He nodded for Nina and Jeight to follow while slipping on his green jacket. With a hiss, the door snapped open. The first thing the two noticed was the staunch difference between the interiors of both the ships. Barrett's ship looked a very cold and dismal grey compared to the sleek, well-lit white corridors of the _Horizon_. It also had a complement of guards, decked in black and blue combat uniforms and white domed helmets. Two of them met the crew of the _Gorskin_ , resolute and noble with their blaster rifles slung over their shoulders.

"Welcome aboard, Captain Vance," An older trooper stated with a smile and an outstretched arm. "Your blaster, please."

Not wanting to cause any trouble, Barrett reluctantly turned over his DH-17. The older guard made a motion to the younger guard, who pointed down the hall, and then set off. "I think that means we should follow them," Barrett whispered with a smirk before sauntering behind the escorts.

Nina's eyes scoured the bustling hallways of the Rebel corvette, soldiers in fatigues and officers conversing with one another as each made their way to their destinations. It almost felt like a cleaner, shinier cantina, instead this one was full of freedom fighters as opposed to drunks. She felt oddly at peace amidst the constant chatter with not a single glance thrown her way.

Before long, the group disappeared into a long corridor, stopping at an intersection of the two hallways. The older trooper turned to look at Nina with a small smile. "Lieutenant Borgan wishes to speak with you alone, Captain Vance, and General Organa would like to speak to you as soon as possible, if that's alright with you."

Nina's eyes went to Barrett's as he gave a short nod. "Sounds good." He turned to Nina, plastering a smile over his lips. "Well, I guess this is it. See you around, sweetheart."

The girl nodded, her eyes falling to the ground. This was probably the last time she'd ever see Barrett, and she felt inclined to say something, though nothing seemed to be appropriate at the time. "Um, stay safe, I guess."

"Yeah, you too." The man smiled at her before turning down another corridor and away from Nina. For a brief moment, she watched him leave, wishing he might come back and stay with her in the Rebellion. She rolled her eyes at the useless thought, before turning around and facing the other way.

"Well, here goes nothing…" Nina whispered to herself before pacing towards the other side of the hallway in a forced silence.

* * *

Borgan's quarters were dark as a cave. The only light source was a small datapad screen built into his desk, the green glow casting faintly on his bearded face. He did not raise his head to look at Barrett as he walked in, but instead continued clicking on his datapad and scanning the aurebesh characters in silent concentration. Barrett stood in the center of the room before the desk, waiting for the Alliance Intelligence agent to address him. Borgan enjoyed taking his time unless there was no time to waste, so he must have figured that analyzing reports from his fellow agents was a bit more pressing than discussing payment with a smuggler.

"Do sit down," the lieutenant muttered, indicating a chair on the other side of his desk. Barrett slid the chair toward him and did as Borgan said. More silence permeated the air until the Rebel finally clicked off his datapad and turned on a desk lamp. "Captain Vance. So good to see you again. My guards tell me you have delivered the girl and she is on her way to debriefing now."

"If that's what they said, then yeah."

"Your payment will be loaded onto your ship momentarily. Five thousand on top of the fifteen 21-LOM gave you. I trust that is more than sufficient?"

"Yeah, that'll do. Thanks, Borgan," Barrett rose and made his way to the door, "Now, if you'll-"

"Captain." The sternness in the lieutenant's voice surprised him. "We're not done yet."

Barrett huffed, turning around to face him. "What, another job?"

"Something like that." Borgan snapped his fingers and pointed back at the chair, which Barrett reluctantly returned to.

"What do you want?"

"I want you." Borgan said with a smirk.

"Sorry, but I don't swing that way."

"You know what I meant," Borgan said, rising from his chair and walking to one of the viewports, "I want you to join the Rebellion."

Barrett chuckled for a bit, thinking this was some kind of joke. But the look in the lieutenant's eye convinced him otherwise. "No. No way."

"Barrett, your skills serve you and your crew very well. You're a great pilot, a crackshot, and you work well under pressure. I'm giving you the opportunity to use those talents for a cause greater than yourself. Please, Captain."

"I said, 'No.'" Barrett replied, walking towards the door. "And I mean it. I don't sign with causes bigger than myself-"

"Ah, yes, because the last cause you were part of only caused you pain."

Barrett stopped, taking a quick, deep breath before turning around to glare at Borgan. "What did you just say?"

The lieutenant smiled, picking up another datapad and pulling up a file. "Sergeant Joss Barrett, Black Sun foot soldier. Partook in the unfortunate, yet relatively unknown Underworld Massacre, in which several civilians were injured or killed in the crossfire of a showdown between Black Sun forces and Coruscant Security, most of them women and children. Soon after went AWOL while on security duty, later presumed dead… Funny, one Barrett Vance started his smuggling career only a few weeks later." The lieutenant had been padding closer and closer to the man in his office, looking up from the data pad periodically to mark his posture, his breathing, his movements. Barrett's fists clenched tightly as Borgan stopped talking. "And this is interesting… Tell me, does the name 'Resdon' mean anything to you, Captain Vance?"

Something snapped in Barrett's mind. Something cracked. Something fractured. Something shattered. Who was this man to know so much about his private life, the life he left behind? He could hear the broken glass of his temper exploding around him, prompting him to act.

The first blow, a left elbow jab, caught Borgan by surprise, smashing into his left cheek. The Rebel soon recovered, though, managing to block three more punches before delivering a swift, sweeping kick that sent Barrett sprawling. He groaned in pain, trying to get up, but a foot on his neck pinned him to the ground, strangling him.

"Alright!" Barrett croaked, "You win!"

Borgan accepted the surrender, ending his crushing assault on the smuggler's neck and returning to the viewport, mumbling something Barrett did not care to hear. He slowly got up, coughing and sputtering before asking Borgan, "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"The Mabari warriors of Zolan."

"What? That's impossible, the Zolanders would never take a human…"

It was at that moment Borgan turned around, his neatly styled hair, piercing grey eyes, and well-groomed beard began to ripple and fade. Barrett watched with amazement as the man whom he knew as Borgan transform into a less human and more reptilian figure. The green-skinned, yellow-eyed alien being before him blinked and smirked.

"You're… A Clawdite." Barrett said, laughing.

"Got some kind of problem with that?" Borgan croaked with a glare.

"No, I just shoulda known that no man in the galaxy could have such a clean beard for so long."

The two shared a round of laughter, and then silently returned to their seats. It remained tranquil for a few moments more while the lieutenant donned his human form. Then, Borgan opened his mouth, saying, "Barrett, please. The Rebel Alliance could make great use of your talents. You could lead your own fighter squadron, or even join SpecOps. Your skills are-"

"I said no, Borgan," Barrett stated firmly, crossing his arms.

Borgan frowned. "So be it. You may go, Captain. May the Force be with you."

"Yeah, you too. Take care of Nina," Barrett said, taking two fingers and performing a very quick and informal salute before ducking out of the door and back into the sleek white hallway of the Corellian corvette, slowly heading towards his ship.

* * *

After separating from Barrett, Nina felt extremely vulnerable amidst the ring of soldiers that led her down a long hallway. They walked along in silence, before stopping in front of a small door, one of the men in the front punching in a few numbers on a keypad before the door hissed open.

"General Organa will see you now." The man who opened the door told her, standing at attention beside her as she peered into the small room, a hologram emitting a green light into the room.

Nina stepped carefully inside the dimly lit room, her bare feet almost silent on the steel flooring of the Rebel ship. Her eyes kept staring at the hologram with increased curiosity.

"Hello there, Nathalia." A strong voice blared at her through the machine, slightly garbled and static-y with every word. A face shimmered back at her in the light, a braid woven around the crown of the woman's head, a slightly plump face glowing in front of Nina. "Nice to finally meet you."

"Um…" Nina replied, standing awkwardly in the empty room. "A-And you too, I guess?"

The woman's light laugh filled the room as Nina relaxed a tiny bit, her shoulders sinking down. "Don't be afraid, now. My name is General Leia Organa of the Rebellion. I was the one who sent out the initial order to have you retrieved from Tatooine."

"Oh!" Nina nodded, her hands finding a stray lock of her auburn hair to run her fingers through. "Then I guess you're the one I thank for getting me out of there."

The General nodded. "Now, I hope you understand that I don't do this for all of my new recruits, but I would like to formally invite you to join the rebel alliance. We were surprised to find someone directly related to Obi-Wan Kenobi in your terrible situation, and we thought you'd be a wonderful asset to us, especially in the difficult times we're in right now."

Nina sat up straighter. "Wait, what?"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi?" She repeated, crossing her arms over her chest. "I suspect you do know the name of your father, don't you?"

"My father?"

"Yes, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Formerly known as Ben Kenobi while he was in the deserts of Tatooine." She replied slowly, hoping the girl might understand the situation at hand. "Nathalia, you are the daughter of the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Nina's mind froze. She couldn't form any words, much less think anything except the last sentence she heard General Organa say.

A father. She wasn't sure she knew the true meaning of the word. She barely remembered her mother, much less, her father. The only words she knew of him were salty, coarse ones that would earn her a beating in an instant from Chalmun, her owner. A slow smile broke over her face.

"Nathalia?"

Nina tried to bring her gaze back up to the woman on the screen, but giddy excitement filled her entire world. A _father._ She actually had one of those! Secretly, she always suspected it, but now she had a name to go off of, and a woman who knew the man she longed to know.

"Can I see him?" She blurted out.

The woman's face fell. "I'm terribly sorry, Nathalia, but he's no longer with us."

As much as those words stung her, she barely cared. She had a father. A real _father!_ One that seemed to have left behind a legacy for her that would overshadow the years of solitude she spent without him.

Nina let out the breath she didn't know she was holding in, before looking back at the General, her face perfectly aglow. "I have a father. A father!"

The General smiled endearingly at Nina. "I'm glad. Now will you accept our invitation?"

"Absolutely!" She laughed. "As long as I'm not in that awful cantina anymore."

Just as she uttered those words, the small room she had been in was plunged into darkness, the General's face disappearing. She let out a small shriek as sirens began to echo through the halls of the Rebel ship.

Outside the small room, she heard dozens of shouts and heavy stomps as the lights desperately tried to flicker back to life. Muffled words were exchanged outside before the door to Nina's room slid open, revealing a man in an guard's uniform, his helmet haphazardly thrown onto his head. "Ma'am, Imperial ships have dropped out of hyperspace. We're under attack. You need to come with me, _now_."

A single thought crossed Nina's mind as she was grabbed by the soldier and dragged out of the small compartment.

 _Barrett._

* * *

Sorry for the dramatics. Nina's a little bit of a drama queen. But also, if you think about it, Barrett's one of her only friends in like, ever. So why shouldn't she be concerned with his safety?

I'm rambling. Sorry.

Well, have a nice life, my dear readers, and please let us know what you think in the reviews! We're always up for some constructive criticism! Thanks! Alice, over and out!


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys, Danny here with another chapter of Revelation! Enjoy!

* * *

Barrett was only a few steps away from the airlock to his ship when the lights went out all across the corvette, plunging the clean, shining halls into pitch black darkness. All around him he heard confused murmurs from the surrounding Alliance personnel as the red emergency lights emitted their eerie glow on the inhabitants of the corridor. Something was clearly amiss. Suddenly, sirens erupted throughout the _Horizon_ while the same voice Barrett heard when he was approaching the ship not half an hour ago was blaring an announcement to all aboard.

"Alert: Imperial ships have exited hyperspace. We are under attack. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is _not_ a drill. All crew to their battle stations on the double!"

Time slowed down as the Rebels scrambled to their post, alarms wailing and officers shouting. Barrett moved to a viewport in one of the port side rooms of the ship, his heart sinking at the sight of two _Victory II_ -class frigates flanking an _Imperial_ -class Star Destroyer. The Imperial ships began firing on the group of CR90s, which had only just managed to raise their deflector shields in time to defend their exposed hulls from a barrage of turbolaser fire. Turrets on the _Bright Horizon_ and the two other corvettes returned fire at the superior warships, which absorbed the Rebel's payload with their own state-of-the-art shields. "This is hopeless," Barrett muttered, making a beeline for his ship, but halting just before the airlock.

 _Nina._

The smuggler swore under his breath, turning around and rushing to the bridge to find Borgan. The one girl that he wouldn't mind to keep alive was about to die.

Well, not if he had anything to say about it.

He dodged his way past several wayward crew members before smashing into a droid, resulting in both of their falls.

"Ya know, I get that the ship is under attack, but really, would ya-" The voice was familiar.

"Lom?!"

The bug-eyed droid looked up at the man who had bumped into him, letting out a short yelp. "Captain Vance! You're still with us!"

"Get me to Borgan, now!"

"Woah, hey, okay! Relax! Come with me!" Lom replied, moving towards the bridge.

When the two arrived, the bridge was a mess. Several terminal operators were frantically carrying out their jobs, shouting in stressed and fearful voices. The captain had been killed after a blast from the Star Destroyer shattered a nearby computer, sending shrapnel into his back and neck. From the main viewport, all on the bridge witnessed one of the CR90s, the _Pride of Hanna City_ , crumple under concentrated fire and explode, sending debris hurtling towards the _Horizon_. Someone shouted an order to brace before the explosion's shockwave rattled the ship while pieces of blasted metal smashed against the corvette's hull. Barrett barely managed to stay upright while Lom fell to the floor with a grunt. He helped the droid up, then turned to see Borgan's bearded face.

"Captain, thank the Force you're still here!"

"Borgan, where's Nina?"

"The girl? She's with one of my best men. They're on their way here now. I need to ask you a favor, Captain."

Barrett could see where this was going. "I'll get her far away from here."

"Take Gausco with you. They're better off with you than with me," Borgan ordered, grunting as he yanked a cord from his neck. "This navigation chip will take you to our hidden base. Getting the girl there is your main objective, but _do not_ let this fall into Imperial hands. If it does, the war will be over and the Rebellion will be crushed. Do you understand?"

"Got it," Barrett said, taking the crude necklace and stuffing it in his pocket. "But what about you?"

"I'm in command of the _Horizon_ now. I'll cover your escape," Borgan stated, his voice growing darker, "by any means necessary."

At that moment, the door hissed open, revealing Nina and a Rebel soldier rushing into the bridge. "Sir, I have the girl."

"You know, the girl does have a name!" Nina huffed angrily as she tumbled in behind the rebel.

"Excellent work, Specialist Gausco," Borgan replied. "I am hereby assigning you to the command of Captain Vance. He's your ride out of here. From now on, you take orders from him. Understood?"

"But, sir-"

"No buts, Gausco. I am your handler and your officer and you will do as I say."

Specialist Gausco reluctantly nodded, frowning.

"Now, go, and may the Force be with you," Borgan said, once more turning his back before Barrett and his new crew slipped out of the bridge. The four swiftly raced through ruby corridors and hallways towards the airlock as the ship quaked from the impacts of Imperial turbolasers.

"Looks like you just can't get away from me, sweetheart," Barrett stated, grinning smugly at Nina. Despite the sarcasm, he could not help but feel a bit relieved that the two were not parting here and now after all.

"I'd say the same to you," Nina replied with a small smirk. "Let's just get out of here."

Jeight was waiting at the airlock when they arrived, whistling and peeping frantically as the group boarded the _Gorskin_. The group all stood just before the cockpit, waiting for orders from Barrett as enemy fire rocked the ship.

"Jeight, looks like we've taken some damage, can you get on an emergency diagnostic to make sure we can get out of here? Lom, you go with him," Barrett pointed to the stern engineering terminal, which the droids shuffled towards. "You two are with me. Into the cockpit, come on!"

Barrett hopped behind the pilot's stick, starting up the engines and deflector shields and preparing to detach from the Alliance corvette. "Nina, gunner position. Let's see if you remember how to shoot. Gausco, think you can fly this thing?"

"I think so. I graduated as a naval cadet from Brionelle Memorial before joining Alliance Intelligence," He replied, jumping into the co-pilot's chair, flicking on switches and examining the controls while removing his helmet. "This isn't much different than our defense shuttles back home."

"Great, you're my co-pilot. Distribute power from weapons systems to-"

Another shock wave smashed against the ship, making it shudder and shake. Not a few seconds had passed when another explosion sounded and vibrated the corvette. Everyone looked at each other cautiously. It was close.

Too close.

The holoterminal lit up, notifying Barrett of an incoming message from Borgan. He immediately accepted, and the lieutenant's holographic figure popped up in the cockpit.

"Captain, listen to me, there's not much time. The _Bail Organa_ has been destroyed and they've hit our main reactor; we're sitting ducks. They've caught us in their tractor beam, probably plan to board us. Another thing… There's an Inquisitor aboard that Destroyer. He's after the girl," Borgan stated, keeping his cool but sporting a concerned frown. "The crew and I have come up with a way to cover your exit. We've set charges in our engine section that should destroy the stern end of the corvette. Ideally, it will create a sort of covert shroud that will give you enough time to escape the tractor beam and prepare to jump to hyperspace. Then we'll trigger our own self-destruct sequence once we're inside the Star Destroyer itself. Those Imps aren't getting any of our intel on my watch. Don't worry about us- we knew the risk of rebellion. Don't forget the _Horizon_ , boys. Borgan, out."

The hologram disappeared, and Barrett figured that would be the last time he would see Lieutenant Borgan. Something stirred in him as he imagined the Clawdite and his crew consigning themselves to destruction so that their primary objective, the girl, Nina, would not fall into enemy hands. At first, Vance had despised Borgan, thinking him too enigmatic and patriotic for his own good. But now, in the intelligence agent's final moments, he saw Borgan for who he really was: a man willing to die for a cause greater than himself, fighting a seemingly indomitable enemy in a hopeless war with the idea that maybe his sacrifice will be enough to deliver the smuggler and his Alliance cargo to safety. Was it admiration Barrett felt? Respect?

Inspiration?

He couldn't dwell on it for long, seeing as the explosion coming from the stern end of the ship successfully pushed the _Gorskin_ off the corvette's docking ring, the rubble successfully getting caught in the Destroyer's tractor beam. "Punch it, Gausco!"

The young Rebel slammed down the throttle controls and the _Gorskin_ sped off through the debris from the explosion, escaping the clutches of the Star Destroyer's tractor beam. Imperial turbolaser fire rained down around them, but Barrett's evasive action prevented a majority of the emerald beams from striking the testudine ship. "Okay, I think we're clear, let me punch in the coordinates on the nav-"

"Barrett!" Nina called, distressed. "There's a bunch of those Imperial ships out there!"

"She's right, there's a flight of TIEs on our tail!" Gausco shouted, observing the sensors as five signatures closed in fast. They zoomed past the cockpit after a strafing run, revealing arrow-shaped solar panels.

"Great… We've got interceptors!" Barrett said, powering up the laser cannons.

"Not all of them, Captain," Gausco replied. "One of them looks like a Hunter!"

Nina could picture the TIE Hunter in her mind's eye. She felt a great darkness within the starfighter's round cockpit. Great anger. Great pain. She could see his eyes. Those menacing, beastly eyes with their piercing yellow shine struck fear in her heart. He could see her, too. He sensed her fear. He was smiling at her, smirking like a predator does when they corner their prey.

"Barrett, he's chasing us!" Nina called from her seat. "And I don't think he's gonna be as easy to get rid of as the other guys!"

"Just take care of 'em while I prepare the jump to lightspeed!"

Nina nodded silently, focusing her eyes on the tiny screen for only the second time in her life. The deep yellow eyes that bore into her soul only moments before returned with a vengeance, tearing through her mind unwarranted, like a rampant serpent, swirling through her thoughts.

"Augh!" She muttered, squeezing her eyes shut and pressing a hand to her temples as she felt another headache begin. "I can't deal with this right now!"

A tiny voice entered Nina's inner ear, calling sweetly to her, as if it was a loved one that's tone makes your entire world slow down just enough to hear them talk.

 _Close your mind, Nina. Close your thoughts and don't let him seek you._

"Hey! Waiting for a formal invitation or something? Shoot 'em!" Gausco yelled at her from his seat next to Barrett.

"I'm sorry that I'm not good at this!" She yelled back to them, feeling anger flare in her veins. She wasn't good at anything, now that she thought more about it. She wasted away her life in that damn cantina and now she was nothing more than a useless waste of space while being attacked.

She scoffed quietly at herself. _Why do the Rebels put this much effort into me? What good do I do?_

Her gaze drifted back to the tiny screen that glowed in front of her, her fingers loosely fingering the triggers as she waited for the TIE fighters to come into view.

 _Anger leads to the dark side, child. Forget your anger and focus on the task at hand._

"Nina, just remember the canyon, alright? Remember how you took down those TIEs in the canyon!" Barrett said, grunting as he tried to outmaneuver the Imperial fighters. "These ones are faster, but otherwise, they're just the same. A couple hits, and they're good as gone!"

She shook the voices out of her heads, her headache slowly disappearing. "Got it!"

Taking a deep breath, Nina eyed the bobbing TIEs with care, ready to line the nearest one up with her target reticule. Barrett's evasive flying would make shooting the interceptors down much more difficult, but it could be done. As soon as she got a good angle on one, she smashed her thumbs down on the triggers, feeling a hint of relief after damaging one of the TIEs, sending it hurtling uncontrollably towards the swirling gas storms of Havath Minor. Bursts of fire showered the rest of the pursuing fighters, forcing them to take frantic action not to be struck by the _Gorskin_ 's powerful cannons. Suddenly, Barrett's voice pervaded the cockpit.

"Everyone hang onto something!" Suddenly, the ship moved slower and flipped back, curving over the interceptors before Barrett punched the throttle again, blasting the freighter towards the Imperial Fleet. The TIEs followed suit, but not before Nina could zero in on one of them and blow it away. "Three more!"

"Keep shooting, I've got an idea!" Barrett replied, setting the ship right-side up.

"Captain, what the hell are you doing?" Gausco shouted, seeing the Star Destroyer growing closer.

"Getting a bit closer to the Imperial ships."

"You're _what_?!" Nina cried, almost forgetting to continue firing at the fighters behind them.

"Are you crazy?!" Gausco exclaimed. "The _Horizon_ will blow inside that thing any minute, and you-"

"Look, buddy, I've gotten outta stickier situations than this, alright?! We'll be outta range by the time Borgan's ship takes down the Destroyer, then we'll jump to lightspeed!"

Gausco cursed under his breath. "You're crazy, Vance!"

"Just shut up and hold on, you'll be thanking me before you know it!" Barrett replied, swooping down over the hull of one of the frigates, the _Triumph_. The turbolasers fired shot after shot at the freighter, but most all of them were dodged by Barrett's maneuvering. A grin spread across his face as a ridiculous idea played out in his mind.

"What?" Gausco asked, almost sounding worried.

"Fire the forward torpedo cannons at the bridge. Now!" Barrett shouted, cutting off the specialist's attempt to question him. He pointed at the controls near the co-pilot's chair, which the young Rebel soon had his hands on. Two bright orbs of pink light sped towards the thin bridge tower of the _Triumph_. The deflector shields visibly pulsed upon their impact, but no surface damage could be seen.

"Nina, clip one of those interceptors on my mark!"

"I'll try! They're really quick!" Nina called in response, ditching her suppressing fire technique and taking more precise shots. The three remaining TIEs bobbed and weaved, making it hard to line up a clear hit. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply as her fingers began to twitch once more, this time, a new air of comfort around them.

 _Use the Force, Nina._ The voice in her head commanded as she slowly withdrew her eyes from the tiny computer screen in front of her, letting them instead watch the bobbing TIEs in her mind, as she held the triggers even tighter.

From far away, she heard Barrett's voice call out, signalling her that now was the time. With one fluid motion, she fired the guns, holding down the trigger of the console as the sound of an explosion grabbed her attention, and she looked down to find the two TIE interceptors out of her view. "Wait, what happened?"

Barrett's laughter chorused through the ship as she watched the screen intently, watching for the enemy. "You did it!"

"What?"

"You blasted one fighter, and then it hit the other one, and... Well… See for yourself." Gausco pointed at the _Triumph_ as the _Gorskin_ made another pass. She could see the shrinking form of a TIE interceptor spiraling towards the bridge tower of the Imperial frigate, its turbolasers blazing trying to shoot down the speeding projectile. Unfortunately for the crew of the _Triumph_ , the interceptor was one of the fastest ships in the Imperial Navy, even when the pilot lost control. The fighter forced its way through the craft's weakened deflector shield and smashed into the bridge, causing a series of explosions to break out from within the command tower. Nina gasped while squeezing her eyes shut to silence the growing pain in her head, realizing that she had managed to disable an Imperial star cruiser. Gausco cheered at the sight, reaching back to show her a fist pump.

"Alright, just one more!" He shouted.

"Not for long. I've almost plotted coordinates for our jump to lightspeed. I'm punching it once we get clear."

"Got some kind of idea, Vance?"

"Gonna go see an old friend before we find your base. He may just get the Empire off our back," Barrett said, moving the _Gorskin_ over the Star Destroyer and dodging turbolaser fire while ignoring Gausco's protests about his plan. "Speaking of which, Nina, take care of that Hunter!"

Nina nodded with an exhausted face, trying desperately to focus on the TIE Hunter. Whoever this Inquisitor was, he was a talented pilot. She could almost feel the power flowing through him as he carefully evaded any shots fired at his fighter. Moreover, whenever she saw the lasers directly hit the Hunter, there appeared to be no damage inflicted on it. "It's taking all my shots!"

"There's no way that thing could have a-"

"TIE Hunters are outfitted with deflector shields, as well as a lot of other nasty toys," Gausco announced. "If he hasn't killed us yet, then he's going easy on us."

"Stang..." Barrett muttered. "Well don't let up! Only a little more time and we'll be out of here!" He veered the _Gorskin_ down, cutting underneath the Star Destroyer and staying away from the hangar bay tractor beam.

"Come on, LT…" Gausco said, wringing his hands. Almost immediately after, the _Horizon_ erupted in a burst of light, creating explosions that swept across the Star Destroyer like a series of chain reactions. Barrett couldn't believe it. Borgan's crazy plan worked and soon, the massive Imperial ship would blow up like a firecracker in only a few moments. One of the blasts from the now-collapsing Destroyer engulfed the _Gorskin_ , rocking the freighter intensely and temporarily blacking out lights and gunner console. Once clear of the starship's shadow, Barrett ran a quick systems check, making sure the ship was still holding together after such a great hit.

"Dammit, we lost the deflector shield! Nina, don't let that TIE get a lock on us, we're vulnerable!"

"Barrett," Nina called with hesitance in her voice as she pressed her fingers to her temples to slow the dull pounding in her head. "He's gone!"

"Gone? What do you mean?"

"I don't know, he's just not there!" Nina said, staring at the screen with her head spinning like before. "Maybe he blew up?"

"Retreated, more like. Wasn't crazy enough to follow us that close to an exploding Star Destroyer," Gausco said, shaking his head in disbelief that they made it out alive.

"Well if we lost him, let's get out of here," Barrett said. He slipped on a small headset, then flicked on the _Gorskin_ 's intercom system before speaking again.

"Hang on to your parts back there, folks. Jumping to lightspeed… Now."

* * *

Once again, thanks for reading! Please follow, review, and may the Force be with you!


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